25 Days of Christmas: The Wright Kind of Christmas
by UndefeatableEditor13
Summary: The adventures of the Ace Attorney characters as they survive the ups and downs of the Christmas season! And then there'll be New Years...! It'll be a crazy holiday for these folks! Rated T just to be safe.
1. Day 1

Brace yourself... get ready for the romantic-shipping-Christmas fanfics! I'll be doing that too, so... erm, brace yourselves. You'll need to. My NaruMayo-ness and ReiMei-ness (just made that up myself! a.k.a. Franziska x Edgeworth) will blow your emotions out of the courtroom. I promise to write one chapter for each day; after all, it is 25 days of Christmas! Enjoy the story!

* * *

"Heh heh... Niiiiiiiiick!" Maya Fey called to Phoenix Wright extremely devilishly.

"What...?" Phoenix answered slightly annoyed.

"It's December, and you know what that means...!" She crept up behind him and started poking his face.

"Uhh... No, I don't know what that means." He simply ignored the sudden disturbance on his face, but was dreading what the response was to her statement.

"Nick... December = Christmas! Duh!" She jumped out behind him and landed on his lap.

"Wha- Maya, please get off my lap! And Christmas isn't until the 25th, so I don't know what you're going on about! It's only the first." He pushed Maya off his lap and on to the spot on the couch next to him. He didn't want to be mean and push her on the floor. _Maya has been really... intimate to me for the past week or so..._, he thought.

"But, Nick! You need to get me a good Christmas presents, so I decided to give you some ideas now! It's probably a little a late because Black Friday's over, but..." She pulled out a long list of at least 4 feet and handed it over to Phoenix. "Here's my list! I think you should read over it."

He stared dumbfounded at the 4 feet long list in his hand and thought about ripping it up into pieces. "Maya! This list is almost as tall as you, and you expect me to 'read over' this thing?"

Maya looked at Phoenix hopefully and nodded. "Yup! Pretty much! I hope you can make a final decision really soon!"

She then skipped away to the living room to watch some Steel Samurai.

Phoenix was left dumbfounded again and alone in his office. He had no idea what to do with the long list. It would take him at least a week to read over it (if he even considered to read it), and most of the things on the list would probably be impossible, knowing Maya. He lay down on the couch and sighed. What is he going to do with this girl?

_"Let's see the first thing on this list... 'Samurai Spear'... Okay, I'm seriously considering shredding this now."_

xXxXx

"Oh. It's December 1st. Happy December."

"Happy December to you, too, Franziska."

Franziska von Karma looked up from her cup of tea and sarcastically greeted Miles Edgeworth.

"Little Brother, why are you still here? You were here from midnight, and you're still here even though it is past noon. You've been here for more than 12 hours." Franziska, annoyed, asked Miles why he was still there at her rather small house. "My home is nothing compared to your large mansion, so why do you insist on coming here?"

"Oh, you know, I think your house is much more smug and comfy than mine. Mine has too much space to fill up with a small amount of people." Miles didn't even look up from his newspaper while talking to Franziska.

Franziska had noticed that Miles visited more often than he used to. Franziska didn't mind at all; she, in fact, very much enjoyed his company! She would actually always cherish the times he visited. Franziska still clung on to him like a little child, even though she didn't know it.

"Well, Franziska… I think it's time I take my leave… Thank you for the tea. It was quite nice." Miles stood up from the soft chair in the living room and put the newspaper and his cup of tea on the end table next to him. He was about to step out the door when…

"Wait."

Miles turned around and saw Franziska turning a very light pink and about to give him a liquid in a plastic cup.

"Miles… I think you should have this. It's an extra cup of tea on your way home. I know you live well far away from me, so… I think you'd enjoy this."

Miles obviously noticed that this was an extremely embarrassing act for Franziska. He accepted the cup graciously and gave his thanks. He stepped out into the fall – almost winter – wind, into his car, and drove away. Both Franziska and Miles had this feeling that this was going to be one special Christmas season.

_"*sigh* Christmas is coming… Again…"_


	2. Day 2

Phoenix woke up great that morning and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. He put on a fresh, new suit and combed his hair. Phoenix was feeling particularly manly, and was ready to tackle the day head on. Then he saw the picture of him and Maya at Kurain Village. Then he saw an extremely long scroll-looking thing next to the picture. Then he remembered that Maya gave him a 4 foot long list of presents to consider. Then he asked himself why he was feeling so happy and content. And then he realized there was nothing to be content and happy about, and started to get depressed. He slumped down on a chair and read the first five things on the list.

"'Samurai Spear'... in her dreams... 'Pink Princess cosplay'... nope... 'Steel Samurai cosplay'... no way... 'Iron Infant doll'... nuh-uh... 'a kiss from Nick'... not likely... – wait, what?!"

Phoenix took a second glance at the fifth item on the list... and it said what it said. "A kiss from Nick" was the fifth thing on that list. Phoenix thought, _Why would Maya want a kiss from me? That request seems a little private, so why did she put it near the top of the list where I could easily read it rather than put it in the middle of the list where I would be less likely to read it if I didn't take this list seriously...? _

"Oi, Nick! What's up?" Maya suddenly came bursting in the front door. "Ah! You're reading the list! So, have you considered anything yet?" she asked brightly.

_Maya apparently isn't aware that this "consideration" is on the list. Did she not look this over herself? _

Phoenix answered, "Uh, nope. I'm not done with the list yet, but... Why is the list so long?"

"Well, I've been making different lists for a while now, and I thought that I should just combine them all into one list so it wouldn't seem so much to look at!"

_It's kind of the exact opposite, so…_

"Uhh… Maya? I have a question about your list…" Phoenix was asking a question, but Maya wasn't listening at all.

_How cool! Nick is actually looking through the list! I didn't think he would, but he did! Yeee, he's so cool! _

"…and that's my problem with the list so far," Phoenix concluded. "Hey! Why do you look like you're blushing? Were you even listening?!"

Maya snapped to attention and blushed sheepishly. "Oops, I guess not… heh heh heh…"

"Maya…" Phoenix did everything he could to hold back his frustration.

_"Something is wrong with Maya, and I'm gonna get to the bottom of her! Uh… Not that I- Hey, are we going through this again?"_

xXxXx

"Franziska, I've decided to take you up to Las Vegas this Christmas season."

Franziska was in complete shock when Miles came back the next day with this absurd proposal.

"Miles Edgeworth, why- Why are you doing this?! I was planning to go back to Germany for a bit…!"

"Well, I thought about the possibility of you going back to Germany, but I didn't think you'd decide on doing so; you don't have much to visit, and you probably might not have the funds for a long Christmas trip. It would be more inexpensive to go to Las Vegas; you can visit new sights, and, the weather forecast says it might snow there, and I know full well about how much you love snow." Miles argued his point, and according to Franziska's reaction, he might have won Franziska's heart over to his plan.

"…Before I agree to this foolishness, from where did you get this idea?" Franziska asked steadily, even though Miles could see that Franziska was just about ready to spring out of sight and into her bedroom to pack.

Miles calmly answered, "I was driving home, and I heard a Christmas song play. It was after an advertisement for a trip to Las Vegas, so I thought of Las Vegas. It just so happens that the song was in German, so I thought of you."

Franziska gave a cold look at him for a while, and then she finally spoke. "When are we leaving?" Her face showed nothing but irritableness, but her voice had a flicker of enthusiasm in it.

"I was planning to leave next week. Do you think you could pack by then? We'll stay there until four days before Christmas."

Franziska thought about it for about 5 seconds, and then she slammed the door in Miles's face. Miles took this as a yes, but he did not leave her front doorstep quite just yet. He was expecting more…

The front door opened a little and Franziska's blue-gray eyes peeped out of the crevice. It was barely audible, but she whispered, "Yes", and closed the door (softer this time) again.

Miles smiled a satisfactory smile, a smile showing obvious victory and smugness.

_"It will be nice to see Franziska's childish side again…"_


	3. Day 3

I'm sorry that I couldn't upload this chapter yesterday; my Internet died! I could not connect whatsoever, and I really worked hard on this particularly long chapter, too... I'll upload this one and Day 4 (originally for today) as a way to say sorry. Forgive me? Please enjoy!

* * *

Maya was asking – begging, even – Phoenix to repeat what he said, but Phoenix refused to answer. He just shooed Maya off to watch TV. He focused his attention to the list the next day after Maya turned on the TV.

"I wonder what other crazy things are on here..." he said softly. "Hmm... 'a burger machine' ...ha, that's new... 'an unlimited supply of burgers' ...doesn't she get that already? Jeez... 'a trip to Las Vegas'... – wait, what?"

_Maya needs to stop putting normal things in the middle of really weird or impossible things! That just makes the normal thing stick out unnecessarily! _

He thought about this one, and considered this might be possible to give.

_I wonder what's there that she wants to see, though... _

He stared at the rest of the list and how far he has left to go. Then he got depressed (again), and decided that he would just give this to Maya.

"Maya! I've decided!" He called to Maya in the living room, and summoned her to his side.

"Huh?! You've read through the whole list?" Maya asked in surprise.

"What?! Uh... No. But... I decided I'll give you whatever looks good. And, I found something good." Phoenix nodded.

Maya brightened and was impressed. _Nick actually found something on that list to give me?! I wonder what...!_

"OK, so you put on this list that you wanted a trip to Vegas, right? Well, I've decided to give it to you! Merry Christmas!" He said sarcastically enthusiastically.

Maya looked in shock at Phoenix's choice. _I... I don't remember putting a trip to Vegas on that list! Where did that come from? Oh, wait... I think the Steel Samurai Wax Exhibit is there. Yeah, I think that's it... _

Maya squealed in delight and asked excitedly, "So, when are we going?! When are we going, Nick?!"

Phoenix backed off at the jumping girl in front of him. "Woah, woah! Calm down a bit there, missy! I'm thinking next week would be good, don't you think? In the meanwhile, I'll start planning."

"Yeeee! Yay, yay, yay, yay, YAAAAAAAAAYYY!" The girl was so excited that she could not say one real word other than "yay". In fact, she was so excited that she hugged Phoenix so hard that he felt that Maya was going to break his ribcage.

And yet, he was glad that he could please Maya without spending too much (hopefully).

_"Nick! I can't wait to start planning!_

_I hope it's not _too_ expensive..."_

xXxXx

This time, it was Franziska who came to visit Miles' house.

Miles raised one of his eyebrows in amusement. "Franziska, now it's my turn... What are you doing here?"

Franziska, sick of the fall-like days even though it was already winter, was looking rather irritated... Was that impatience in her eyes? "Miles, just let me in."

Miles reacted as though he was a bit taken back. First of all, he saw a rare combination of emotions in her eyes, and second, she called him by just his first name. She rarely ever does that, except in times of drastic measures.

He let her in and closed the door behind her. Miles watched as Franziska immediately set her bag and jacket down on the couch (but of course, not her whip) and headed straight for the kitchen. The items were set aside by one of Miles' maids. Miles followed Franziska in and watched some more as she was bustling around the kitchen making some tea.

_Franziska sort of looks like a housewife like this. In fact, she actually looks nice. And she knows exactly what I like and knows where exactly the materials to make it are. _

"Miles Edgeworth, I need to talk to you. Sit down over here while the tea is brewing." She commanded him to sit down next to her on one of the dining room chairs. He obediently sat down next to her.

"Miles-" she started, but Miles interrupted her.

"Franziska. Why are you here? You never answered my question when you were at the door." He came back to his snarky self after watching Franziska and being in awe.

Franziska sighed and answered, "I just wanted to visit. The same reason for your random visits as well."

Miles raised one eyebrow in question. He knew there was definitely something more than "just a visit". His frequent visits to Franizska's house weren't for any reason at all; he, in fact, loves spending time with Franziska. He enjoys her presence in his life.

Franziska sighed deeper. "Miles, I want to change the date of our departure. I think we should leave earlier. Instead of a week, I was thinking 4 days from now."

Miles furrowed his eyebrows. "Why do you want to go earlier? That doesn't give any one of us time to prepare anything. Are you in a rush?"

Franziska turned crimson red. "I want to go earlier. I'm... er, sort of... umm..."

It was a rare sight for Franziska to be dark red like this and stumble upon her words. In fact, this was such a rare sight that Miles had a notion to take his phone out and take a picture or video of Franziska in this awfully cute form.

Franziska continued, still red in the face, "I'm sort of... e-excited... for this... trip."

Miles raised both of his eyebrows, but agreed slyly. "Alright, we'll leave earlier. We just have to plan and prepare twice as fast."

Franziska, still red, nodded in agreement when the kettle started whistling. She quickly ran over to the pot and served the tea. She rapidly drank her tea and left, all the while still as crimson red as she was.

Miles closed the door behind him when she left and thought one thing and one thing only: _odd_.

_"We are driving there, correct?_

_Yes, why do you ask?_

_Oh nothing... (Oh, no...!)"_


	4. Day 4

"Niiiiiiiick! I can't wait for our trip! I already planned all the sights we're gonna see! We'll visit one cool thing per day, because it's so cool we could spend FOREVER there! I guess the main attraction is the Strip, so we'll go there first! And then-"

Maya was going on and on about the plans for the Vegas trip. Phoenix could really tell that she was excited for this trip; Maya had never taken responsibility before and planned anything. It would always be all Phoenix.

"So, you have everything planned here? All I have to do is bring the money and basically chaperone you?" Phoenix asked once more.

Maya nodded her head vigorously. "Yup! I have the set budget plans and the tour plans! All you have to do is follow the plan and spend money! Here... I'll give you your copy now... If I can find it..." Maya was shuffling a lot of papers in a folder to find Phoenix's copy of the trip plans when she dropped the folder and papers flew everywhere. He immediately helped her pick them up, and they grabbed the same paper. Instead of grabbing the paper, Phoenix took a hold of Maya's hand, which was already on top of the paper. Maya quickly drew her hand back and turned a pinkish-reddish. He wondered what was going on and wanted to ask her if anything was wrong.

Maya, however, was scolding herself for blushing when Phoenix grabbed her hand. _No, Maya! Focus! Focus your attention to the trip! You don't have time to be thinking about Phoenix... Think about the Steel Samurai Wax Exhibit...! _

Phoenix wanted to do something nice for Maya, since she drew up these plans in just one night, so he decided they would leave earlier. Instead of leaving a week after, like they planned, he decided to leave 4 days from that day.

"Maya, since you've been really responsible and taking charge of this trip, I think we should leave earlier than we planned. Instead of leaving in a week, we shall leave four days from now!"

Maya first looked in surprise; then in joy and happiness. "Really, Nick?! We can leave early?! That's so COOOOOOL! I'm so happy I could kiss you!" Maya started jumping around happily and screaming in delight.

Phoenix was very pleased to make Maya happy once again, and nearly took her last statement seriously. He was expecting a kiss, but he never received one. Oh, no, oh, no, it's not like he _wants_ a kiss... does he?

_"Now we have extra time to lounge around before the plan starts! At least 3 days! I hope that's enough time to recover from a long ride there for an old geezer, right Nick?_

_Yeah, it is... Wait a second; I'm not an old geezer!_

_Heh heh..."_

xXxXx

_So we're leaving earlier, huh? Well, I should probably get planning, but..._

Miles lay in bed, shirtless, and with just pajamas on. Somehow, he felt utterly lazy and did not want to get up from bed. He had lain there for a while now; he woke up at about 8, but he was still lying there past noon.

_*knock knock*_

Miles could hear a knocking at the door, and he, not aware of his state of dress, went to answer the door.

It was Franziska.

"Miles, I have the trip plan-"

Franziska stopped short at the shirtless man in front of her. She stared at him for a long time. Franziska knew that Miles wasn't the type who'd go to the gym or work out, but he had amazing muscles. It seemed like he works out regularly, but his build was probably just naturally muscle-y. She noticed the perfect curves of his chest, abdomen, and arms, and was tempted to reach out and touch any one of these curves. In fact, she was turning red at a thought of hugging Miles, right then and there, while he was still in this manly form.

"-iska. Franziska. Franziska. Platinein!"

Franziska then realized that Miles was calling her. She also realized that he called her by the nickname he gave her when they were younger. It was a combination of "platin", or platinum, and "fräulein", or young lady. Memories of her childhood in Germany flashed before her eyes.

"Franziska, you were going to say something about the trip plans?" Miles continued the conversation as if nothing ever happened, but he could not help but notice the odd silence between the two of them.

Franziska was planning to tell Miles about it, but she just gave him the trip plans and left. While talking to Franziska, Miles' laziness disappeared, and his mind cleared. He realized that he had no shirt on, and maybe that's why Franziska left with a tinge of red on her face. Franziska nowadays seems to like leaving Miles' house with a blush on her face.

_"Something is going on within me…"_


	5. Day 5

Maya couldn't come over to help plan the trip that day because she had some Master duties at the village that needed her immediate attention. Phoenix knew that Maya had basically everything under control, so he turned his attention to the rest of the things on the list. He doesn't know why, but he has this obsessive want to just look through the list and see if he can actually give Maya something. He enjoyed seeing the delight on her face when he could fulfill one of her wishes, and he was addicted to that feeling that he could really make Maya happy.

_Phoenix… This list will definitely be the end of you… _

"What else is on this list…? Let's see… 'a laptop'… too expensive… 'complete Steel Samurai manga set'… too much money, I think… 'to see the first snow with Nick'… – Heh?! What 'first snow'? We live in Los Angeles?! It would practically never snow here!"

_But why would she want to see her first snow with me? And what's up with the things on her list that need me to do something for her…? I feel like I should be picking up something, but I can't get it yet… _

Phoenix wrote down that request just in case it did snow in Las Vegas; the city was having a cold streak now, and there was a chance that it might snow that following Saturday. He called her to say that the bus they were taking was leaving after lunch at 12:45, so she had better get ready.

That list really will be the end of him; whenever he takes a look at it, he has to go through a process of looking at her other wishes and getting depressed at their impossibility.

_"What will we do in Las Vegas? Shoot, I didn't even look at the plan yet. I probably should…"_

xXxXx

Once Miles found out that there was a slight chance that it could snow on Saturday, he knew that Franziska and he had to leave the next day. The drive to Las Vegas didn't take more than a day, but if they left too late, then the time of day would probably ruin the possible snowy weather.

Miles was gambling everything on the slight possibility that it might rain that Saturday, and he knew that whether it would snow or not would change the mood of the rest of the trip. If Franziska started the trip with seeing Las Vegas' first snow, he knew that there'd be a bigger chance of her acting happier throughout the trip. However, if not, then the trip would go on as planned, but Franziska's happiness level would probably shrink a little smaller. The snow could help them reestablish better memories than the awkward moments they have had recently.

"We're leaving tomorrow?" Miles called Franziska to tell her the urgent news that they were leaving the next day. "What time?"

"We're leaving at around half past noon. We could eat lunch somewhere else beforehand, and then we'll just board the RV and start driving."

"…Okay, then. I'll meet you at the Applebee's nearest to your house for lunch." Franziska finished the conversation and hung up before Miles could even respond.

He smiled and silently prayed to the gods that it would rain.

_"I haven't driven my RV in a long time. I should probably see if it looks alright…"_

* * *

It really will might snow this Saturday here in my humble city (Right. Welcome to Sin City) of Las Vegas. I'm praying to the universe that it will snow, so I can have a nice, accurate story. Then again, the universe just loves proving me wrong, so... Hope it does!


	6. Day 6

Look at my obscenely long chapter! That's why I couldn't finish it yesterday... Please enjoy! Oh! Here's a character key for my stories:

. . . = time skip

xXxXx= different-part-of-the-story skip

* * *

"Hee hee hee! Mr. Nick, you and Mystic Maya are going somewhere for Christmas? How romantic... *siiiiiigh*" Pearl smiled and sighed dreamily.

Both Maya and Phoenix turned red, and yelled at the same time, "Pearl, it's nothing like that!"

Pearl ignored their cries and just smiled wider. "Well, Mr. Nick, I think you two should be leaving. It's almost 12:45 and it's going to take a long time to get to the stay-shun. Have a nice trip!"

Pearl waved goodbye, and Maya and Phoenix boarded a bus going towards the other bus station, where they packed their suitcases and hopped on the bus just in time. The bus started to move, and Maya could not stop jumping up and down in her seat. There weren't much people on the bus that day

"Maya, stop shaking the seat! I don't think I'll ever be able to do ANYTHING if you're sitting there jumping up and down." Phoenix scolded her and went back to solving a crossword in a puzzle book.

"Nick, you're such an old geezer! Have some fun, will you? I'm so excited for this trip; I can't stop thinking about it!"

Maya started jumping up and down in her seat even more. Phoenix could not concentrate on a particularly weird word for his crossword puzzle, which was a 4-letter word with the definition "a score of zero; nil". It seemed so easy, but he couldn't think of a word that wasn't already in the definition.

Phoenix nonchalantly pulled a burger from his jacket pocket, and Maya immediately stopped jumping in her seat and quickly shifted her attention to her favorite form of meat, which just so happens to be in a bun.

Phoenix knew that Maya would stop doing anything if there was a burger within reach of her senses, which was about several yards away. Now, Phoenix was sitting right next to her, not even 3 feet away, and he smiled to himself at the success of his plan.

"Nick… What are you doing with a burger…?" she said viciously with a hiss.

Phoenix answered without a care in the world, "I thought I might be hungry before they served the next meal on this bus, so I ordered some extra when we ate lunch." He took a bite and looked down once again at the crossword puzzle in front of him.

Maya hissed, but did not spring (yet) to take the burger away from him. Phoenix took 2 more bites, and this was when Maya knew it was enough. She sprang on him and snatched the partially eaten burger from his hands.

Phoenix blinked a couple times, pretending to be in shock. Maya grinned and triumphantly took a bite from his – now her – burger. Phoenix pulled out another one and was about to take a bite of it when Maya took that one, too.

Phoenix wasn't expecting this at all; he was used to Maya taking whatever he had to acquire for her own, and he'd always have an extra, but she's never took his extra one, too. He looked at her with slightly furious eyes and said, "Why did you do that…?"

Maya looked possessively at the burgers in her arms and handed Phoenix's first one back to him and took a bite of his new one. She explained (with her mouth full), "I don't want to have a burger smaller than yours, so I took your new one."

Phoenix sighed and just took another bite of the older burger. Maya was sitting happily next to him, eating her burger with content. Phoenix was glad that he calmed her down somewhat. Sometimes, it's hard to believe that Maya was actually a 19 year old girl. It's like she acts more like an 8-year old child.

. . .

"We are going to reach Las Vegas in about 8 hours. Please enjoy your sleep, and thank you for choosing a bus to go somewhere instead of a plane."

There were murmurs of laughter around the bus. It was 11 PM, and everybody was getting ready to go to sleep. Even though she was already in pajamas, Maya tried resisting her sleep because she didn't want to miss a thing on this super-important trip. She couldn't, and her head started nodding as she tried to stay awake. Phoenix could stay up pretty late, but he felt extremely tired that day, and wanted to get some sleep. He made himself as comfortable as possible. (It's hard to sleep like you're at home on a cramped bus.) He was about to enter a deep sleep when…

_*thump* _

He felt something land on his shoulder. He opened one eye and found Maya knocked out cold right on his shoulder. Instead of moving her slowly back to her seat, he left her there, and even laid his own head on top of her sleeping one.

_"Mmm… Goodnight, Nick…_

_Goodnight, Maya."_

xXxXx

Miles waited for Franziska at Applebee's in the RV. He saw her get off the bus, and start walking towards the obvious vehicle in the parking lot. Miles got off and ran over to Franziska to help her put the luggage in the RV. A small smile flashed on her face for just a second, but it was seen and taken as a sign of thanks for Miles.

They entered Applebee's and asked for seats for two. The waitress led them to a small but comfy table in the corner of the restaurant. They looked at their menu for drinks, and soon after, another waitress came up to them to take their orders.

"Hello, welcome to Applebee's! I'm Sally, and I'll be your server today. What drinks can I get you two?"

Franziska ordered the mango iced tea, and Miles ordered the red apple sangria.

Miles asked, "What do you suggest would be a good place to start?"

The waitress smiled and answered, "Well, since there are two of you, you could look in our 2 for $20 meals, or you could look in the lunch combos to see if anything there is good, too. Would you like appetizers?"

Franziska quickly answered, "No, thank you."

The waitress smiled again and said that she'd bring their drinks shortly.

Franziska raised one eyebrow. "Wine already, Little Brother? You don't want to have a high alcohol level since you're the one driving."

Miles calmly answered, "Why not? Plus, I am very alcohol tolerant."

Franziska ignored his response and looked at the menu to order some food.

"We shouldn't take too long. But I would like to have some things for take-out. We'll order take-out later, but keep in mind that I do want some."

Miles nodded and looked at his menu as well. Pretty soon, the waitress came back with Miles' sangria and Franziska's iced tea.

"So are we folks ready?"

Miles and Franziska both nodded.

The waitress smiled and asked Miles first what he wanted.

"I think I'll have the lemon parmesan shrimp."

Then she asked Franziska what she wanted.

"I'll have the three-cheese chicken penne pasta."

The waitress smiled again and said, "Alright, then! They'll be coming, so in the meanwhile, hang tight!"

The waitress left and Miles and Franziska were alone again. They had short conversations about where they were going to go first, and Franziska said they should go to the Strip first, since that is the most famous place in Vegas.

"Okay, here is the pasta for you, my dear," The waitress put down the pasta in front of Franziska, "and here is the shrimp!" She set down the shrimp in front of Miles.

"Is there anything else you'd like before I leave again?" The waitress asked.

"Yes, actually. We would like to order some take-out." Miles grabbed a menu before the waitress took it.

The waitress nodded as she got her pad out and motioned for him to continue. But it wasn't Miles who continued; it was Franziska.

"The onion rings sounds fine; the grilled chicken Caesar salad seems favorable; and a complementing dessert would probably be… the strawberry cheesecake dessert shooter."

Miles added, "Make that two, please."

The waitress nodded again and went away to bring the order to the kitchen. It may or may not seem apparent, but Franziska actually loves food. She is sort of like a connoisseur, and she loves eating.

It may not look it, but Miles and Franziska had an enjoyable time eating, and they had the heavenly butter pecan blondie for dessert. They even decided to have a competition, and Franziska was the victor with the last bite.

They left happily with their take-out and refilled drinks, and hit the road.

Miles turned on the RV and Franziska buckled her seatbelt. They turned on the highway and started the long journey to Las Vegas.

. . .

Miles parked the RV at an RV park so he can sleep over the night. It was 1 AM, and Franziska was already asleep in one of the beds. Miles was extremely drowsy and was half-awake and half-asleep as he made his way to one of the beds in the back. He felt the bedding of one, and immediately climbed in that one. He felt the pillow and moved it over beside him so the pillow was in the entryway and Miles was secure near the wall. He fell asleep soundly, not knowing what he got himself into…

_"This is a firm pillow… but it's nice…"_


	7. Day 7

It didn't actually snow here in Vegas... but it rained! So I'll escalate that a bit and pretend that's "snow". Please enjoy!

* * *

Maya opened her eyes. She did not expect to see what she saw at all. Phoenix's face was very close to hers, and his arm was around her and dangerously close to her chest. She slowly pushed the arm and Phoenix's face back to where it belonged – not near her. She pushed him back into his seat and looked around. Some people were awake, and an attendant was serving breakfast. Phoenix woke up just in time to get 3 warm, steaming pancakes on a plate with syrup, and Maya got maple-flavored oatmeal.

Maya made a small frown on her face and started to pout.

"Huh…? Maya, why are you frowning?" Phoenix asked as he took a bite off of a pancake.

"I… don't want oatmeal… I wanted pancakes…" Maya said sadly.

Phoenix immediately switched his pancakes for her oatmeal. "There you go. Problem solved."

Maya looked up at Phoenix and gave a small smile. "Thanks, Nick. You always give me what I want." She took a small bite off of the same pancake Phoenix ate from. He noticed that they've switched partly eaten food a lot lately.

Maya looked really adorable while eating the pancakes. She didn't even wolf it down like usual; it was like she was eating slowly to enjoy each bite, and was more appreciative of the food. Was there something up with her…?

Phoenix continued finishing his oatmeal while looking out the window.

"Ah! Look, Nick! There's an RV park. It seems like there's only 2 RVs in there."

Phoenix looked to where Maya was pointing at and confirmed that there was an RV park. And it did have 2 RVs parked.

"Alright, folks, we're in the state of Nevada and we're in Primm, a small community 40 miles away from Vegas! Can I hear some noise?"

The bus driver announced their current location and the whole bus did, in fact, "make some noise". Maya looked up from her pancakes, too, to cheer.

"Wow, Nick. This is gonna be so cool. I'm so excited, I'm calm!"

Phoenix smiled in agreement. Even he had to admit that this was something pretty exciting for him, too. He never traveled farther than downtown LA.

. . .

Phoenix and Maya arrived at Vegas at around 9 AM. They got off the bus and out into the Las Vegas cold.

"Brrrrr! Nick, it's really cold out here!" Maya shivered in her coat.

Phoenix handed Maya some gloves. "And that's why I made you wear pants instead of your usual medium clothing." He playfully put earmuffs on her as he put a scarf on himself. He felt extremely… responsible for her all of a sudden.

Maya smiled and picked up her suitcase. "Well, Nick, I think we should get to our hotel!" She pulled up a taxi and drove to a comfy hotel called the Marriott. It was near the Strip.

"I think we'll like this place. I looked at some pictures, and it seems pretty comfy! It's like an apartment with a kitchenette and everything!" On the way there, Maya could NOT stop talking about how "awesome" the hotel was. Phoenix didn't quite believe her, but he couldn't HELP but believe her; the tone of her voice was very convincing.

They arrived at the Marriott, and from the looks of the lobby, it was a very a nice place. It seemed welcoming and inviting. Maya and Phoenix dropped off their items in their room. The second they went outside, it started lightly snowing.

Maya breathed one word as she looked up at the darker clouds in the sky: "Snow…"

Phoenix looked up as well, and saw the snow fall, too. Well, it was more hail-like than snow-like, but it worked for Maya.

Maya smiled with wonder at the white precipitation falling into her gloved hand. Her eyes grew large at the snowflakes resting in the palm of her hands.

Then she looked up at Phoenix, and she smiled with childish delight. He smiled back with amusement. Phoenix said softly, "So do you think we should just sit here and enjoy the snow for a while…?"

Unable to say anything, Maya just nodded. Phoenix unknowingly held Maya's other hand that wasn't occupied with catching snowflakes. The girl was too occupied on the snowflakes that she didn't even notice Phoenix grab her hand.

They walked for a bit like that, hand-in-hand. They were lucky enough to find a bench to sit down and talk a bit on. The two didn't do much that day, but it felt nice to experience something as rare as snow.

Later that day, the weather started to change a bit.

"Look, Nick! The sun's shining through the clouds!" Maya pointed to a little part where the clouds break off and you could see a bit of the blue sky and a ray of sun.

Phoenix looked where she was pointing and put his arm around her shoulder. "Oh yeah, I see it. That's pretty neat. You expecting a rainbow?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah! That would be cool, since it's still raining, and then there's this random rainbow."

Phoenix laughed and continued on walking down the street. He then knew the word that he was missing on that crossword puzzle: love. [Love can also mean "zero", like in tennis.]

_"Nick… I like snow. I like it a lot._

_Yeah, I do too."_

xXxXx

Franziska woke up with an odd thought. She knew she was on the bottom bunk of the bunk-bed of the RV, but it felt like there was more than one person on that bed. Then she realized she felt something warm and firm on her back, like a body. Then she realized there was an arm around her stomach. It's not… is it?

At about the same time, Miles woke up as well. He realized he was pressed against the wall. He saw blue in front of his eyes and smelled a hint of fruit. Then realized that he had his arm around Franziska von Karma, the woman whom he treated as a sister. He slept with Franziska, basically his sister. He quickly pulled his arm away from her stomach and started to think.

_Wh-What?! Was _this_ the oddly firm pillow that I moved over last night? Why was Franziska so light? Why-_

He suddenly felt Franziska turn around and face him. She looked up at him with wide, surprised, eyes. Then their faces both turned red all over and Franziska jumped out of the bed.

"G-Good morning, M-Miles E-Edgeworth."

"G-Good m-morning, F-Franziska. H-How well did you s-sleep?"

"…F-Fine."

They tried starting off the morning normally, but the whole morning was practically ruined once they found they just slept with each other.

"I-I'll go prepare breakfast." Franziska quickly ran out of that area, and closed the separator behind her. She sighed and was glad to get out of that imperfectly embarrassing moment. She knew how to cook one thing for breakfast, and one thing only: scrambled eggs. Franziska was never good at cooking much; the one meal she can cook the most is for some types of desserts. So, she cooked scrambled eggs and put together some slices of bread topped with a little butter. She also set out some orange juice in tall glasses and put them on the shiny, marble table.

A little while later, Miles came out ready for breakfast. He quickly wolfed down the food and headed straight for the driver's seat. He said that they were a little delayed in their schedule, and that they'd have to leave right away for Vegas. They'd already crossed the border and are in a little community outside of Vegas called Primm. Vegas was in about 40 miles from Primm, and they were no closer to reaching Vegas.

Miles stepped on the acceleration pedal and the RV lurched forward a bit. Franziska, instead of sitting in the front like usual, sat in one of the back sofas and looked out the window. She saw a rather large bus pass by. "These fools," she muttered under breath, "don't have enough money to get to their destination themselves." She sat at that spot looking out of that same window, in her pajamas, the whole time to Vegas.

. . .

Miles rented a car once they got there and parked the RV at the rental place. They drove over to the hotel they were staying at, the Marriott, the one near the Strip, and dropped off their luggage. They stepped outside, and it was snowing.

Franziska stared at the snow and followed its movements as it went down from the sky to the ground. She breathed, "The first snow…"

Sometimes, she would catch some in her hand. Her hands were always gloved anyways, but she wore two today, because it might snow. She stared at the snow in her hands, and looked up at Miles. Her eyes had a child-like sparkle to it. Her eyes seemed bigger than usual, and one corner of her mouth lifted to form an innocent smirk. Miles gently put a hand on her shoulder, and he asked her with a childish tone, "How do you like the snow, Franziska?"

She barely managed to choke out, "Ho-me…" She hadn't visited Germany for a while, and the snow was making her homesick. She started to cry; she was holding it back at first, but soon it started to fall as freely as the snow did, and the tears mixed in with the snowflakes in her hand. Miles guided her to a bench. He hugged her and let her cry on him. He helped soothe her poor soul by tenderly stroking her hair and saying reassuring words.

She let go, stopped crying, and looked up at the sky again. She smiled and leaned back on the bench. She started to talk about her memories in Germany, and Miles joined her in her reminiscing. They even started to speak in German again. The taste of German on their tongues was interesting; Miles hasn't said anything in German for a while since he was in Germany, and Franziska missed speaking in German.

Pretty soon, the sun started to shine through the clouds. They both looked up, and saw a rainbow forming in the sky. They leaned on each other and enjoyed watching the rainbow together.

_"Kleiner Bruder… Danke."_

[Little Brother… Thank you.]


	8. Day 8

Now, this chapter is formulated a little differently with the rest. Just follow along with the character key and have a brain and you'll be just fine!

* * *

Maya woke up feeling fresh and rejuvenated. "Ahhhh! That was a nice sleep! Hotel beds are more comfortable than I thought they were! How did you sleep, Nick?" She looked at the bed next to her and saw no evidence of Phoenix's body at all. All she saw was a bundle of blanket. Maya started to panic and jumped off of her bed to check on Phoenix. When she looked closer, she saw a little bit of his spiky hair poking out from one side of the blanket. He was completely covered under the sheets. Maya rolled her eyes and started shaking the bundle.

"Nick, wake UP! We have to go to the M&M Store today! You know, the one with the chocolate attractions scattered across 3 floors? C-MON! You can eat all the chocolate you want!" She started shaking Phoenix harder.

From under the sheets, Phoenix said with a muffled voice, "Maya, who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself?"

Maya stopped shaking him and instead tried to unwrap him from his bundle. She completely ignored the question he asked her. "Gosh, Nick! It's like you're in a burrito!" She then realized what she just said, and thought it absolutely brilliant. She tried unwrapping him faster. "Nick! You're in a burrito! Burrito Nick! It'd be a hit with the clients! I just don't know if it'll taste good... Nick! I want burritos for breakfast!" She finally got him out of the bundle of blankets. "Eh? Nick? What do you think? Hey… Why do you look like you haven't gotten any sleep at all…?"

Phoenix blinked a couple times like a newborn baby being exposed to the light. He actually did have a restful night's sleep, but dealing with Maya's crazy ideas and her unlimited source of energy is just exhausting. After hearing all of the things she said, he felt like he needed some more sleep. He groaned and got up. "I call the shower first." He walked slowly, like a zombie, to the bathroom.

Maya giggled. "Hee hee! Nick, you look like a zombie! Well, if you're going to go that slow, then the bathroom's mine!" Just as he was about to reach the door, Maya sped past him and entered the bathroom. She laughed victoriously and locked the door. Phoenix just groaned again and walked slowly back to the bed to maybe get some more sleep…

xXxXx

Miles, in the middle of the night, quietly slipped into Franziska's bed. Even though there were two beds, he preferred sleeping with her at his side; he actually felt comfortable for once while sleeping. And so, the same result happened the next day. This time, Franziska knew that he got into her bed on purpose, and was angry instead of flustered. She pulled out her whip (which was unseen for a considerable amount of time) and struck Miles four times.

"Look, fool! *strike* You knew *strike* full well that I was in that bed! *strike* So why did you do it this time? *strike*" she asked extremely violently.

Miles simply let go of the subject and calmly said that she should get ready. "Since you're the lady, I'll let you go first in the shower. We have a certain M&M Store to go to." He pulled out a newspaper and started to read. Franziska calmed herself down and quietly went into the bathroom.

Franziska brought her purse containing her whip inside. She said that Vegas is filled with bigger and more perverted fools than there are in LA. Miles sighed. "*sigh* I have a feeling this will be a long day."

. . .

"*sniff* Ahhhh. The fresh, cold air! I love the feeling of being cold and then walking into the warmest room! *munch munch* There; all finished! Are you done yet?" Maya looked up at Phoenix who was still half-way with his breakfast burrito. He still looked a bit groggy.

Maya looked at him with playful eyes. "C'mon, Nick! Cheer up a bit! We're going to an endless chocolate store, for goodness sakes!" She poked him in the arm as he took the last bite of the burrito.

He smiled a little bit; it was nice to see Maya excited like this. She was right; this IS a chocolate store after all. He might as well enjoy it.

They walked a bit and saw the front of the store. The pair stared up at the sign for a second.

Maya gasped, "Wow… This building kinda looks small next to the other ones here."

Phoenix nodded with agreement, and Maya took a picture. At the same time, someone bumped into Maya, ruining her picture.

"Hey, watch where you're walking, oka-" Maya stopped short with her sentence when she saw who bumped into her. "M-M-M-M… Ms. von Karma!"

Phoenix looked at shock at her, but he was even more surprised at the man standing next to her. It was… Edgeworth! By this point, Phoenix nearly fell over at the shock of not only seeing these two together, but also for bumping into them in Las Vegas!

"E-Edgeworth! What are you doing here?!" Phoenix asked with disbelief.

Miles retorted back, "I'll ask you first. What are YOU doing here?"

"Well, Maya and I are here on vacation, and because that's my Christmas present to her. So, time to answer my question. What are you and Franziska doing here? Together?"

Miles answered hesitantly, "We… We're here on vacation, too."

At the same time, Maya and Franziska were having some "friendly conversation", too.

"Hmph… Haven't seen you in a while, yes Maya Fey?"

"Uh… Y-Yeah. I… I haven't seen you in a while, too. So… What are you and Mr. Edgeworth doing here?"

"We're just on vacation, that's all."  
"Oh, really?! Us too!"

"'Us'?"

"Yeah, us! Me and Nick!"

Franziska turned and saw Phoenix and Miles chatting. She sighed and did a mental facepalm. She knew that they were already together; they were going to enter the amusing M&M Store at the same time and tour the same things.

And she was right. The pairs matched up again and toured the place together. It was a lot of fun, actually. Each bought a personalized M&M bag with the M&M's that they chose. Maya got all the shades of purple possible with green, yellow, and pink. Phoenix got his color scheme (dark blue, red, white). Franziska got every shade of blue possible and got some black and silver ones. Miles got specific shades of pink and red; ones that looked like his suit. He also got some eggnog M&Ms (that were limited season) and normal white ones. Everyone left feeling satisfied in some way. Phoenix and Maya went back to the hotel first, and Franziska and Miles took to walking around the Strip some more.

_"It's so weird… We met Edgeworth and Franziska here… Weird…_

_Peculiar… We ran into Wright and Maya. Coincidence? I think not…"_


	9. Day 9

This chapter's pretty short, but it's straight to the point! (Ah ha! Ah ha! Ah ha! It rhymes!) Please enjoy! Don't forget to review and/or comment. :D

* * *

Phoenix woke up to the sound of munching and the TV.

"Maya, what are you doing...?" Phoenix groaned.

"Nick, did you know that the hotel's TV has Steel Samurai in the morning? And these M&M's are really, really good!" Maya took another handful of her M&Ms and popped it into her mouth.

"Maya, you shouldn't be eating candy for breakfast. If you want breakfast, go downstairs and eat. Phoenix tried to scold Maya from under the covers, but he received a wap in the head instead.

"Okay, then, I'm going to go down and eat breakfast, but you're going to have to go with me!" She laughed a bit evilly and flipped open the covers to reveal Phoenix's irritated face. He mumbled something unintelligible, got up, and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair.

Phoenix accompanied Maya down the elevator, both still in their pajamas and entered the lobby. Hopefully nothing crazy happens...

xXxXx

Franziska woke up once again with Miles' arms around her. She knew that she already gave him a whipping once for slipping into her bed, but he remained stubborn and slept next to her again. This time, Franziska no longer had the notion to whip him, but she just let him sleep there for a little longer, his warm breath landing on her neck. She decided that she kind of liked having Miles sleep next to her, too.

Franziska got up from the bed, and therefore waking Miles. She headed for the bathroom to do her daily morning routine. She simply said to him, "Hurry up if you want to accompany me to eat breakfast downstairs."

He raised one eyebrow, but he got up anyway and freshened up a bit. Neither bothered to change; they could do so later.

. . .

They stepped in the elevator and pressed the button to go to the first floor. Miles and Franziska were greeted by the smells of newly cooked breakfast meals and the usual murmur of conversation among the people.

Franziska grabbed a bowl and had oatmeal, an apple, and coffee. Miles grabbed a plate and had a bagel, a banana, and coffee, also. They chose an empty table with two seats near the windows and sat down.

At the same time, Maya and Phoenix entered the lobby to eat breakfast. From where they were standing, they couldn't see Miles and Franziska. Phoenix thought he saw a glimpse of familiar blue hair, but he dismissed it and thought he was going crazy.

He looked down at Maya and asked, "What do you want, Maya?"

She looked up and just smiled. She skipped around the each of the tables, seeing what each could offer to her to eat for breakfast. Maya saw the waffle-making machine and gasped. "Nick! Look at this awesome waffle-making machine!" She swiftly turned around to face Phoenix. "I want waffles for breakfast."

Phoenix nodded and told her, "Well, go ahead and do it yourself, then." He went off to find something else to eat. Maya normally couldn't be trusted with any type of machinery at all whatsoever, but she was abnormally good at handling kitchen and food-related appliances. She figured out the machine just fine and got it working. Phoenix could not decide what he wanted to eat, so he just settled on some cereal.

While all this was happening, Miles and Franziska were focused on their conversation that they didn't even notice the two new people enter. Franziska only looked up with annoyance when she heard Maya gasp at the waffle-making machine. She thought to herself, "Fool. This fool obviously hasn't seen a waffle-making machine before." Franziska turned swiftly around with her whip at the ready when she saw it was Maya, and Phoenix standing next to her, talking.

But this fact did not make her stop, it made her motivated to go up to them and whip them both, particularly Phoenix.

"Phoenix Wright, what are you doing here?!" For every strike Maya got, Phoenix got twice as much. So, when Franziska slashed Maya once, Phoenix got two strikes. "Your foolish spiky hair is so foolishly noticeable that any fool (excluding me) could see it from a foolish mile away!" She gave him two more strikes, but she didn't give any more to Maya.

"Franziska, calm yourself." Miles put his hand on Franziska's wrist just as she raised her arm up to do one last, final strike. He quickly snatched away her whip with his free hand, and devilishly thought that he should have tied Franziska's hands together.

Miles gave Phoenix a hard look. "We are in Vegas at the same time, and what more, we are staying at the same hotel."

Phoenix started sweating. _Why does everything I do fall apart…?_ He then realized this was going to be an extremely long vacation now that he knew that Franziska is in the same building as him. His new aim was to avoid the elevators and lobby whenever possible.

_"…The universe hates me."_


	10. Day 10

This chapter feels like a filler. Well, it probably is, anyway. I don't really have time anymore to make the real chapter ideas. I probably need other people to help me... Well, all of a sudden, I have 2 new jobs available. Care to help me and take them? Please enjoy the [filler] story!

* * *

This time, it was Phoenix who woke Maya up. They had something very important to do.

"Maya, isn't this your idea!? Get up! Why did you stay up so late watching that Steel samurai DVD you happened to find in the airport gift shop?!"

Phoenix shook Maya vigorously in an attempt to wake her up. Maya made a muffled noise to show she was awake, but she made no sign of getting up.

Phoenix started to sweat. _Why doesn't she want to get up? This whole trip was her idea in the first place. Well, it was more like I granted it to her… but whatever! This was her idea!_

Then he realized something. He knew exactly how to wake her up. He started wrapping the sheets around her (like a Maya burrito), and made sure the sheets were tightly in place and that she could breathe.

He lifted her up and set the Maya burrito down in a chair in an upright position. Phoenix then prepared his voice to yell.

"*ahem hem hem* MAYATHERE'SASTEELSAMURAIBURRITOOVERTHEREIFYOUWANTTOGETIT, THENBYALLMEANSGETIT!"

Maya woke up with a jolt and found that she was the one wrapped in her sheets like a burrito.

"Nick! I'm a burrito! Your daily, annoying Maya Burrito! Now come, eat me for breakfast!"

Maya made no sign of escape, or any thoughts of even escaping at all. She seemed to be content wrapped in a burrito made of sheets. "C'mon, Nick, I'm waiting for you to eat me!"

Phoenix went back to bed for maybe some more rest, but Maya's giggles and smiles of delight were so loud that maybe even the person next door could hear it.

And so they did. "Keep it down, in there, fools!" A muffled female voice came from the other room.

Wait – fool? Did that person in there just say "fool"? Both Phoenix and Maya already knew that Franziska and Miles were at the same hotel, too, but they didn't know what room they were in.

Phoenix slid out of the door to check who was next door. At the same time, Miles peeked out of his door. The two men stared at each other for a moment, and, without saying a word, went back inside their respectful rooms.

Phoenix sighed and unwrapped Maya from her burrito form. Maya knew exactly why Phoenix was acting all silent all of a sudden, and she didn't say a word either. They didn't go out that day; they felt it was more comfortable to stay in the hotel and maybe get back some much-needed rest.

Miles sighed deeply after finding out that Phoenix and Maya were staying the room right next to them. He got back in the bed with Franziska, but she immediately stood up and moved to the couch in front of the TV. She turned on the TV with a bowl of cereal in her hand.

Miles and Franziska were getting quite used to sleeping in the same bed as each other. It didn't seem right, but it felt right. Their relationship wasn't romantic or anything, but Miles would just slip into Franziska's bed every night, and Franziska didn't even care anymore. They were both developing an odd attraction for each other; it wasn't romantic or sexual at all. It was just… something hard to explain for both of them.

Neither pair did anything special in particular that day; just sitting in their rooms, being bored. But some progress was made with both relationships.

_"Maya, can I sleep with you here tonight?_

_Y-Yeah, sure…"_

_"I don't want to get in anymore after you go to bed. I hope you don't mind me sleeping here from the very start._

_Of course I mind – hey!_

_You don't mind at all; in fact, you start smiling a bit after I get in."_


	11. Day 11

"Okay, Nick! For once, we really are going to do something today! We should tour the Bellagio!" Maya exclaimed very heroically and put her hands on her hips.

"…" Phoenix gave Maya a blank look as some cereal slowly dripped out of his mouth.

"Eww, Nick! Stop drooling!" Maya gave Phoenix a disgusted look and quickly got a napkin to wipe up the cereal that was slipping out of his mouth. He suddenly snapped out of some sort of daydream.

"Eh, Maya?! What are you doing? Why do I feel like I have something dripping out of my mouth…?" Phoenix took the napkin from Maya's hands and wiped out the awkward feeling of wetness himself.

"I don't know what I was doing, but I think I zoned out after you said, 'We should tour the Bellagio'." Phoenix gave a thoughtful look, but Maya dismissed the subject. As long as her chaperone was awake and attentive, then she was fine with whatever he did.

"I was thinking we could tour the art and garden museum and blah, but I REALLY wanted to see the biggest chocolate fountain in the world! It's in the Jean Philippe Chocolates and Pastries, and that means we're gonna get chocolate souvenirs, too! And the food! I hear they have these grand buffets! Let's eat at one of them! It may not look like it, but we have a lot to do today." Maya nodded like she knew all. Phoenix sighed. He knew was going to spend a lot of money today. Bellagio is one of THE most expensive casinos in Vegas!

xXxXx

Franziska woke up much earlier than Miles, and whipped him a good morning.

"Wake up, Miles. We're going to the Bellagio today, and I don't want to miss anything. There are a lot of arts to see there."

Miles murmured something, and he sort of rolled into a Miles burrito and rolled onto the floor with a thump.

Franziska gave Miles an irritably questioning look. "What are you doing on the floor, Miles? Get up." She whipped him again, and he left him alone once more.

He slowly unwrapped himself and dragged himself to the bathroom with the blanket still around him. "Hep. Blanket. Back. NOW." Franziska was feeling extremely bossy that morning, but Miles made no objections. He put the blanket back and dragged himself over to the bathroom once again. The morning was sort of awful for Miles, and he hoped it would get better as the day progressed.

. . .

"Ah! The Bellagio! It's really pretty, isn't it, Nick?" Maya gazed up at the large building and took everything in, from the very bottom where the water was, and to the very top where this dome-shaped hall sat.

Phoenix nodded in agreement and nudged her to go inside. Maya stayed close to Phoenix as they weaved their way through the crowd and the slot machines. The air was congested with cigarette smoke, and Maya placed her nose on top of Phoenix's jacket to breathe in the fresh laundry smell instead of the smoke as they went to the garden. Along the way, they passed this glass sculpture on the ceiling called the Fiori Di Como. It was very intricate, colorful, and relatively large. Maya clicked her camera and urged Phoenix to keep on walking.

Meanwhile, Franziska and Miles arrived at the Bellagio. They took in the beauty of the architecture of the building, and migrated inside. The pair decided to watch this acrobatic play (of sorts) called "O", performed by Cirque de Soleil.

Maya and Phoenix found their way to the botanical garden. Maya gasped with delight and wonder, and even Phoenix's eyes lit up at the beautiful flowers. The Bellagio employees decorate the garden according to the time of year, and since it was Christmastime, the garden was decorated with Christmas furnishings. In one corner of the garden, there were live musicians playing happy songs on the marimba and vibraphone. There weren't that much people, since it was a weekday, but Phoenix firmly told Maya to stay with him. They went the other way to the garden, and he didn't want her to know that the largest chocolate fountain in the world was right next to the garden.

While Maya and Phoenix explored the botanical garden, Franziska and Miles finished the Cirque de Soleil show. It wasn't that enjoyable, but it was interesting to watch many things go on at the same time. Miles rubbed his temples a bit. He personally thought the frantic acrobatics made his head hurt. Franziska smirked, but she sort of agreed with Miles. They went to the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Arts next. The current exhibit was "Warhol out West", with this pop artist named Andy Warhol. His works were fairly interesting, and were enjoyable to look at. Along the way, they passed the same Fiori Di Como and observed that for a little while, too.

"Wow, Nick! Look at these huge bells hanging from the ceiling! And look at that really big Christmas tree! And those pretty flowers surrounding the big Christmas tree! Gosh, Nick! I can't wait for Christmas!" Maya hopped along, looking at each and everything there was to see at the botanical garden, and taking pictures of the especially large things at the garden. Phoenix smiled at Maya's childish delight; he hasn't felt childish at all in a while, and seeing Maya so happy and the feeling of the gardens was warming. He put his hand on her head as he chuckled to himself softly. They could spend all day here, but he was getting sort of hungry. Phoenix directed Maya's attention to the chocolate shop next door beholding the large chocolate fountain. She was refilled with energy, and dragged Phoenix over to the shop to buy chocolate and appreciate the chocolate fountain. As Maya was dragging him to the place, Phoenix saw a man with blackish-greyish hair and a shorter woman with platinum blue hair. It wasn't… was it? Phoenix didn't have time to think who it was because the sight of the chocolate fountain even silenced his thoughts.

The fountain was even incorporated in the ceiling, and Phoenix and Maya watched as different kinds of chocolate fluidly came down from the ceiling and combined into one large bowl on the floor. The two stared in awe at the fountain, and Maya was inspired to buy some chocolate. Phoenix thought to himself as he looked at one of the prices of a small box of chocolate, "Good luck, Wallet." And he already saw Maya look at a large box of caramel squares.

xXxXx

Franziska and Miles arrived at the botanical gardens after the art gallery. Miles truly appreciated the craftsmanship they put into the decorating of the tree, and just admired the whole place all in all. Franziska was able to identify each flower without looking at the plates naming them; other than prosecuting, Franziska also had an incredibly feminine hobby: flower arranging. She had an eye for rare flowers, and added that to her list of perfections.

They looked at the rest of the displays, and both of them were almost caught under mistletoe. Personally, they wouldn't follow the mistletoe rules themselves, but pressure from the crowd would force them to kiss. Miles pulled Franziska close to him to get them away from the mistletoe.

. . .

Both parties were satisfied; Franziska "convinced" (if you know what I mean) a Bellagio employee to let her take home one of the flowers (it was a poinsettia), and Maya was happy to have a medium-sized chocolate box and a full stomach. Yet, the pairs never ran into each other once while both were making their way around the Bellagio. They only caught sight of each other at the main attraction: the Bellagio Fountains. Earlier, when Maya and Phoenix arrived, the water resting at the foot of the building was just that: water. But at night, the water was controlled to make beautiful fountain patterns accompanied by some music.

The theme that night was particularly romantic, and Franziska and Miles, and Phoenix and Maya didn't even realize they were standing right next to each other. Miles looked at Phoenix, and Phoenix looked at him. Miles gave a slight nod in recognition of his presence, and Phoenix did so back. Franziska and Maya did the same thing, and both pairs shifted their attention back to the fountains.

The water rose up; high, high above the other bystanders, and nearly reaching halfway of the building, and fell back down. The water rose up differently each time, and Maya followed the movements of the water. Franziska, with wide eyes and a small smile, did the same.

Miles nonchalantly put his arm around Franziska, pulled her closer to him, and placed his hands on her hips. She didn't even mind and continued to stare at the water rising and falling. Maya clutched Phoenix's arm and stood with her shoulder touching his the whole time she was watching. Phoenix looked down at Maya with a certain fondness and touched her shoulder in recognition of this certain existence.

For the rest of the time, both couples watched the water. Certainly, Christmas was going to bring something more than just presents.

_"Mr. Edgeworth? Could you take a picture of me and Nick?_

_*click*_

_Good! Something to remember this day by."_

* * *

Somehow, I feel like I'm obsessed with human burritos. Well, 3 down and 1 to go! I just don't know how I'd put Franziska in a burrito...


	12. Day 12

I guess what I'll do with these chapters is to do a switch thing. One day is filled with excitement, the next is the day for the characters to rest and maybe stick some fluffy fluff in their hotel-room lives. Please enjoy this chapter as well!

* * *

Both parties were extremely tired of walking around in the Bellagio, so they decided not to do anything that day.

Phoenix woke up and looked across the room to Maya sleeping in the bed next to him. She was turned to him, and her sleeping face seemed so gentle and peaceful, unlike her jumpy and devilish persona when she was awake. Maya seemed like an obedient, well-mannered angel when she was sleeping, and maybe Phoenix liked this view of her better; she wasn't as much as a pain when she was asleep.

Then she suddenly woke up, and found Phoenix staring at her intently. Her eyes widened with greeting, and a smirk crossed her face as she raised both of her eyebrows quickly.

Phoenix could not help but cross over to her bed. He brought his laptop with him, and told Maya of his plan to video chat Pearl.

"Ah, that's a great idea! Wait, does Pearly know how to use a computer?" Maya did not mind that Phoenix went into her bed, and continued with her spunky self.

"I hope so. I taught her how to connect with us, so I'll contact her right now…"

Phoenix turned on the laptop and started to connect. The next moment, Pearl's bright face showed up on the screen.

"Ah! Mr. Nick, Mystic Maya! If I can see you, does that mean I used the com-pyoo-tur right?"

Phoenix and Maya both laughed and nodded their heads.

Pearl clapped her hands. "Oh, goody! What did you do? Mr. Nick, did you do anything… romantic for Mystic Maya? It is Christmas, after all!" Pearl turned a cute shade of pink at the thought of Maya and Phoenix being romantically involved.

Both yelled at the same time, "Pearls/Pearly! We aren't like that!"

Pearl laughed and ignored their comment. "Please, tell me all the great adventures you had."

Maya smiled and started. "Well, there's a lot to say. First, we went…"

Maya and Phoenix just sat in the bed in their pajamas for the rest of the day video chatting with Pearl. The adventures have yet to begin.

_"Haaaaaaahhh! A fountain? That is definitely romantic, Mr. Nick!_

_Y-Yeah, I guess so._

_Nick, what are you doing blushing?!"_

xXxXx

Once again, Franziska woke up with Miles's arms around her and his warm breath flickering on the back of her neck. She turned around and gazed at his sleeping face. Peaceful, it was; there were creases of a nightmare on his face, but it was smoothed over by her presence.

Franziska didn't even get up; her legs were simply too sore to move, so she slept some more, and ended up sleeping the whole day.

Miles woke up at some point, also. He would have liked to get up, but Franziska was snuggling with his arm, and if he moved it away from her, she would have woken up. Franziska isn't a very pleasant person to be with if you forcefully wake her up, and plus, she looked really adorable cuddling with his one arm. Since he couldn't move, he decided to go back to sleep, and Miles ended up sleeping for the rest of the day, too.

What both pairs basically did the whole day was stay in bed and waste time.

_"My legs are sore, Nick! I'm staying here!_

_I'm not asking you to move; my legs hurt, too."_

_"Mrmmph… Fool… Mmph…"_


	13. Day 13 - Friday the 13th Special!

Happy Friday the 13th! This is a little Friday the 13th special I did, so I hope you like it! Don't forget to review!

* * *

"Hee hee! Hey, Nick! Do you know what day it is?" Maya asked perkily.

Phoenix raised one eyebrow. "No… I'm afraid to ask, but… What day is it?" He didn't want to know the answer to this, but he had to.

"Well, doh! It's Friday! The 13th! So, it's Friday the 13th!" Maya put her hands on her hips proudly.

"…And so…?" Phoenix motioned Maya to continue.

Maya gave him a funny look. "Whaddya mean 'and so'? It means that we should do something special today!"

"Isn't every second you spend here in 'Sin City' count enough as 'special'?" Phoenix asked exasperatedly.

"Well, I was thinking we could do some pranks on Franziska and Edgeworth! I know that's April Fool's Day stuff, but maybe we could trick them into believing that bad luck on Friday the 13th does exist!" Maya nodded her head excitedly, and Phoenix just sighed again.

"Why would I want to play pranks on them? Don't we have somewhere to go today? My legs aren't sore anymore."

"No! I want to play pranks on Franziska and Edgeworth! Please?" She put on an adorable puppy face.

"I- *sigh*" No matter what he did, he could never really say no to Maya. He could delay his answer, but in the end, it was always "yes". "…Fine."

"Yippee!" Maya cheered and jumped for joy. She gave Phoenix a hug and started to tell him her plans.

"Okay, I was thinking that we should try to get them under mistletoe and force them to kiss. Since I don't think they'd follow the normal rules, so we should dress up as Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers or something and hold their most precious items hostage. Then they'd HAVE to kiss! What do you think?"

Phoenix thought about it for a while. "Yeah, that might just work. Where would we place the mistletoe?"

"Right outside the door!"

"How will we take their 'precious items'?"

"…I don't know."

"Actually, what are their precious items?"

"…I don't know."

"…"

A plan seemed to be in place, but the details were brutal. Now they had to think of a way.

"Ah! Maya, I got it."

. . .

"My whip!"

"My cravat…!"

"Mwahaha! If you want your precious items back, you must kiss! After all, you are under a mistletoe."

"Or you'll never see these particular items ever again."

How did they do this? Well, it was simple. It just so happened that Shelly de Killer was a bell boy for that hotel, for he had a client there. Phoenix and Maya lured Franziska and Miles out of their rooms by offering to accompany them to breakfast and De Killer and the maids did their work. Franziska (stupidly) forgot to bring her whip, and Miles left his suit on the bed. De Killer took Franziska's whip and Miles' cravat, and set the mistletoe up on the door frame. Just as Franziska and Miles were about to enter their room, Maya obnoxiously pointed out that they were standing right under a mistletoe, and told them that they had to kiss. Phoenix motioned De Killer to come out from his hiding spot holding the "precious items", and Phoenix told them that had to kiss or else De Killer was "gonna 'de kill' their stuff." The stupid pun received eyerolls, including De Killer. Phoenix told everyone to shake it off because they got the point.

Franziska and Miles were at a loss. They looked up at the mistletoe on the door frame, and then they looked at each other. Miles started to lean forward, but Franziska moved back until she was against the side of the door. Franziska couldn't back up any more, so she closed her eyes and put a determined face on. Miles leaned down, put his hand on her cheek and slightly placed his lips on hers.

Miles already started to back away, but Franziska returned the kiss and moved forward. (Un)Surprisingly, this was her first kiss, and she enjoyed it, especially with Miles. This kiss was longer than the first one; Miles put his hands on Franziska's hips, and she put her arms around his neck. They separated and gazed into each other's eyes for a while.

"Uh… *cough*. Hello? Ms. Von Karma? Mr. Edgeworth? If you'd like to do it some more, you are welcome to after this…"

They snapped back to their original selves and quickly grabbed their precious items back from De Killer. Franziska and Miles kicked the group out of their room, and slammed the door in their faces.

Maya yelled at the closed door, "HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!" Then Phoenix and Maya laughed triumphantly.

The door opened again, this time with Franziska's and Miles' dangerous faces glaring at them. Franziska threateningly had her whip at the ready, and Miles' glare was almost as scary as Damon Gant's dramatic pauses and scary stare combined.

The pair shot fear into Maya's and Phoenix's hearts, but they could not move. It felt like game over for them.

"We have a foolish Friday the 13th gift for your foolishly foolish selves, too."

"I suggest you accept them graciously, or we must force them on you."

Franziska gave them quite the whipping, and Miles' dagger stare accompanied the pain of the whip by stabbing their emotions.

Even though the consequences were extremely rough, Phoenix and Maya had a fun time messing with Franziska and Miles.

_"Nick! Did you see their faces when they kissed?_

_Yeah I think they_ actually_ enjoyed it…"_


	14. Day 14 - 11 Days Before Christmas

Alright! There are now exactly 12 days before Christmas! Let the countdown COMMENCE~! From here on out, the story will have amazing relationship progresses! Please enjoy!

* * *

"Okay, Maya, what's the plan for today?" Phoenix took a bite of his bagel and a sip of his coffee.

"Actually, we're going to go to several places today." Maya nonchalantly took a bite of her waffle, and found syrup dribbling down her chin. Phoenix quickly wiped it off for her.

"Oh? Which places? And what are we gonna do there?"

"Well… Umm… First, we'll go to the Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay; then we'll see the Blue Man Group at Monte Carlo… then we'll end the day by riding the roller coaster at New York New York!"

Phoenix raised his eyebrows. "Sounds like a long day. Better get started, right?"

Maya nodded, and collected their trash. Now they were set for yet another busy day in Vegas.

xXxXx

"Mmmph… What are we doing today, Franziska…?" Miles mumbled into Franziska's hair.

"Get up and I'll tell you," she snapped back snappily. She nimbly slipped from his arms and got up.

Miles unwillingly got up, and Franziska did tell him.

"We're going to go to several places today. First we'll go see the Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay, and then we will go see the Bodies Exhibition at the Luxor. We will end the day by riding the New York New York roller coaster. Sounds clear?"

Miles nodded groggily, and zombie-walked to the bathroom. Another long day, it seemed.

. . .

"Ah, Nick, cool! The entrance is so cool! We're gonna take a picture, right?" Maya bounced up and down while clapping her hands.

"Uh… I guess we should; as a souvenir. But that line looks… long." He flashed the line an odd look, but he and Maya got in the line anyway.

A couple of minutes later, Miles and Franziska arrived at the Shark Reef.

"Ugh. What an awfully long line. Foolishness…" Franziska looked at disgust at the long line in front of her.

Miles stared at the line, and got an idea. "Franziska… Come here. I have a plan to get us tickets quicker."

He motioned for her to get closer, and he whispered in her ear his plan. Franziska backed away and gave the plan a smirk of approval.

Franziska started whipping the general public, and both started flashing their prosecutor's badges. Once Maya and Phoenix heard the first crack of the whip and screaming, they knew immediately it was Franziska von Karma near the back of the line whipping people.

They saw Miles and Franziska moving forward in the line, and even passed them. Phoenix and Maya gave a look of shock and disbelief. Miles noticed the two's faces, and gave them a triumphant smirk.

Phoenix gave a determined face and muttered to himself. "Oh, it's on."

He pulled his attorney's badge out and started to announce to the general public that he and Maya were there on government business, and the people let him through to the front of the line.

They saw that Franziska and Miles already got their tickets, and Phoenix and Maya were up next. The ticket person nervously handed the two tickets, and got even more nervous when he caught a glimpse of Phoenix's attorney's badge. In fact, the clerk was so nervous that he immediately dished out two tickets and gave them for half price. Maya smiled and said thank you. Phoenix just nodded and cockily walked away. What an interesting trip this will be…

. . .

"Nick! I loved that place! The jellyfish were AMAZING! And I touched a real-life sting ray!" Maya hopped up and down wearing a shark hat.

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah, that rocked. I liked the tunnel where the fish go over your head."

"Hmm. How amusing."

"I personally enjoyed seeing the sharks."

Phoenix heard Franziska's and Edgeworth's voices behind him, but he did not look back to greet them. He just pushed Maya on ahead to move to their next attraction.

It was obvious that the spiky hair in front of Miles belonged to Phoenix, but Miles did not say anything to greet him. Miles and Franziska went off on their next attraction.

. . .

Phoenix and Maya enjoyed the odd, comical Blue Man Group concert, and Miles and Franziska learned a lot of things at the Bodies Exhibition. Now Franziska knows exactly where to hit her whip to cause the most pain to the receiver. These attractions were fun, but now it was time for the grand finale: the New York New York roller coaster.

Phoenix and Maya arrived at the line to see it was very long. Franziska and Miles also arrived to see the ridiculously long line. This time, the pairs had to recognize that they were practically following each other. They used the same tactics as last time to get to the front of the line to get tickets, and this time worked together to get them.

The pairs successfully got seats near the front of the coaster. Maya was very excited, and could not stop bouncing up and down in her seat. Phoenix set his hand on her shoulder with some force and told her to calm down.

"You're bouncing so hard that you might fall out of your seat before the ride even begins." Phoenix was about to say, but before he could finish, the coaster started to rumble and move.

The ride was truly thrilling; all four characters were screaming for their lives at some point in the weirdly long ride. Through loops and at high speeds, the roller coaster captured the heart of Maya.

"Niiiiiiiiick! That ride was so cool!" Maya could not jump up and down properly because she was a bit dizzy. She started tipping over, and Phoenix caught her just in time.

"Woah, you okay there? Can you walk?" Phoenix tried to help Maya up, but she just kept falling back down.

Maya giggled. "I don't think I can walk. Could you… give me a piggy-back ride?"

Phoenix agreed right away, and she hopped onto his back. He firmly held her legs, and she made sure to hang on to his neck.

He asked extremely prince-like, "Shall we go back to the hotel?"

Maya nodded and giggled again. "Sure!"

They laughed, and off they went to catch a bus back to the hotel.

Meanwhile, Franziska and Miles were still recovering from the crazy ride.

"How… How ridiculous…ly thrilling…" Franziska was in a bit of a shock. She didn't know how to react to such a great ride as that. All of a sudden, she started laughing uncontrollably.

"Franziska…? What's gotten into you?" Miles face showed disbelief at the girl's off reaction.

"I-I'm sorry, Miles. I… I haven't done anything so… fun in… forever…! Please forgive me…! I feel so foolish! Ha… ha…" Franziska was laughing so hard she was gripping her sides.

Miles started laughing as well. He hasn't seen this side of Franziska in a while. He missed it. All she shows is her cold demeanor; he hasn't seen her soften up and look… human, for once. Miles could not help but give this little sister-like girl a hug. She actually looked like someone her age, and not anyone older.

Franziska finally stopped laughing, and she suddenly collapsed in Miles' arms. She was fast asleep. The whole day must have tired her, and this odd reveal of persona must have weakened her a bit. He carried her to the hotel, where he once again slept peacefully with her.

xXxXx

After being completely dizzy, Maya fell asleep instantly once Phoenix set her down on the bed. Phoenix was extremely tired from carrying her, too, so he just fell down next to her and started to snore lightly.

_"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree."_


	15. Day 15 - 10 Days Before Christmas

I felt really dirty writing Narumayo's part. I also felt really shojo-y writing this whole chapter. If I felt shojo-y, is that bad? Please tell me. Also, please enjoy the story!

* * *

"Oww, my legs. And my back. Owww..." Phoenix winced in pain and clutched his right leg.

Maya looked at him oddly. "Nick, you really are such an old geezer!"

"Well, my legs hurt from all that walking yesterday. Aren't your legs sore, too?!"

She nodded. "Yeah, but they don't hurt like old man-kind hurt. It's just 'I-just-finished-running-a-mile' kind of hurt."

"What?" Phoenix scrunched his eyebrows together and raised his arms. "That doesn't make any sense."

Maya waved her hands as if waving off the subject, and instead took out some rubbing oil. "Look, I happen to be a master at massaging, so maybe that can help."

Phoenix blinked a few times. "M-Massaging?" He thought about it some more. _A massage would be niiiiiice... And Maya's going to do it, too... Maya... Massaging me... Mmm..._

Phoenix's face suddenly turned an alarming shade of red.

"Eek! Nick! What's wrong with your face?!" Maya reeled back in fear.

"What? Oh, sorry!" His face turned back to his normal skin color, and asked to proceed with the massage.

"Okay... Well, first, I'm going to need you to take off your shirt."

"Okay, well– What? T-Take off my shirt...? Why?"

Maya rolled her eyes as if the answer was totally obvious.

"Well, if you don't take it off, then I can't properly massage your back! You also want your legs massaged, too, right? Well, I'm gonna have to ask you to put on some shorts or something."

Phoenix stared at Maya with complete disbelief. Basically, Maya was asking him to start stripping just so she can massage him. But he had to agree; he wanted– no, NEEDED that massage so badly, so he took off his shirt and pajamas, and found himself standing there practically stark-naked in his brief shorts.

Maya put her hand on her face and turned a slight shade of red; she would have never guessed that Phoenix had muscles or worked out at all. Despite all of this, she motioned him to lay face-down on the bed.

He did so, and she got to work. Maya applied some oil on her hands and rubbed it; then she placed her hands on Phoenix's back. He jumped a bit, but only because he never knew Maya's hands felt so warm on his back. She started rubbing her hands all over Phoenix's back to spread the oil, and then she pressed her thumbs down on several points on his back, which received some groans of relief.

"Ugh… Ahhh… That's the spot…" Phoenix lifted his head up and lay it down again. He closed his eyes in relaxation.

Maya smiled a small, satisfactory smile, and continued to smooth over joints affected by the walking. Phoenix moaned relief many times, and again, Maya smiled mysteriously.

After they were done with his back, Maya told him he could put his shirt back on because she was going to work on his legs now. Phoenix nodded and put his shirt on again. She commanded him to sit up in the bed, and he obeyed.

She moved on to his legs, and did the same process with the oil as she did with his back. Maya started to firmly squeeze and un-squeeze his right leg, and Phoenix noticed how focused she looked. She was giving an odd, determined smile with her eyebrows furrowed. He then noticed how absolutely adorable she looked. He sighed an appreciative sigh, and he told Maya that she could stop. Maya looked up from her work and gave him a questioning look.

"But why? I'm still on your right leg and I'm not done yet…" She frowned.

Phoenix shook his head. "No, I want you to stop; I'm feeling a lot better, now. Actually… I wanted to repay you for massaging me. Your hands hurt now, right?"

Maya nodded slowly and carefully.

"Well… It may not seem like it, but I know a bit on how to massage, too. I want to massage your hands."

Maya looked surprised and blushed.

"Y-You want to massage my h-hands?"

Oddly, Phoenix turned red, too. "Y-Yeah… Can I?"

Maya nodded, and he took one of her hands. Both turned a darker shade of red at the same time, and Phoenix began to massage.

He pressed and gently squeezed her small hands. _Her hands are so small. I've never realized before, but… Maya is actually really cute. She's not _just_ a hamburger glutton._

_Grrr… What's wrong with me? Nick is just being nice and being a good friend, but… The way he's holding my hand just feels something more. _

"There. All done."

Phoenix snapped Maya out of her thoughts, and he let go of her hand.

Maya looked down and blushed madly. "I… I want to say thank you."

She looked up again, and, still blushing, kissed Phoenix on his forehead. Phoenix turned red all over and nodded awkwardly. He gave her a hug in return for the kiss, but he didn't feel it was enough. Nonetheless, both were satisfied, somehow, and realized that something is changing their feelings towards each other.

xXxXx

It was an awfully normal morning for Franziska and Miles, but it was an odd day. The morning was normal, but it was the events after lunch that really spurred the senses.

"I think I'm feeling a little sleepy, Franziska."

Miles yawned and sat down on the couch. Franziska was already there on the couch, channel surfing on the TV. She couldn't find anything to watch, so she just turned off the TV and focused on reading her book. She took a sip of her tea.

Miles stared at Franziska for a bit. She was wearing shorts, but was wearing long socks up to her knees. She was sporting a normal white t-shirt, but it seemed as though… her breasts were bigger? Miles shook his head and closed his eyes. He needed some extra sleep.

Somehow, Miles found his head on Franziska's thigh. He turned his head and looked up, where Franziska was taking a nap also. He saw Franziska's chest move up and down in tune with her breathing, and she, once again, seemed human. He smiled mysteriously, and didn't bother to move; he liked the spot where his head chose, so he went back to sleep.

Franziska woke up with a snap. She didn't even realize that she took a nap, and felt something heavy on her left thigh. She looked down and saw Miles sleeping peacefully on it. Her reaction was an annoyed one. She tried to get up, but she couldn't get his head off of her thigh without waking him up.

She sighed defeated, and just decided to leave him there. Besides, it wasn't like she HATED having him relax on her. Miles actually looked very handsome when he was sleeping.

_"On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle ducks– I mean, doves– and a partridge in a pear tree."_


	16. Day 16 - 9 Days Before Christmas

You know, I think I really enjoyed this chapter. It was fun writing it; I loved writing the fluff, so I hope you will enjoy this fluffy chapter as well!

* * *

"You know, Nick, now that I think about it, I don't think I want to go to the Adventure Dome anymore. We should go to the Venetian. It's definitely more high-class there, and it's a little late to be playing." Maya tried to act mature as she looked through the magazine for the Las Vegas casinos on the Strip.

Phoenix checked his watch. "It's only 7."

Maya nodded. "Yeah, it's kinda late. Oh!" Her face brightened at a new idea. "We should try eating a fancy dinner or something at the Venetian. The Delmonico Steakhouse sounds good! Then we can ride a gondola! What do you think?" She quickly swiveled her head to look at Phoenix, who was thinking that this idea didn't sound too bad.

"A fancy steak dinner… then a fancy gondola ride… For once, your ideas don't sound bad. But this was kind of unexpected on my budg-" Phoenix was about to point out that this would cost a lot, but she interrupted him with a wide smile on her face.

"Thanks, Nick! I want to feel really grown-up here!" She smiled a smile of thanks, and the smile was something that was so sincere and pure, and captured Phoenix's heart. He even saw her eyes twinkle a bit. Immediately, he knew that there was going to be something special on this night.

xXxXx

He reminded playfully, "Since we're going to have fine dining, you should dress up a little nicer and fancier."

Franziska flipped through a magazine bored while Miles was sipping some tea and on his laptop.

She threw her magazine on to the table in front of her. "Miles, get up. We're going to dine at the Venetian for dinner tonight. It's going to be fine dining at the B&B Ristorante, so dress nicely. Oh, and then we shall ride a gondola."

Miles looked up from his screen and already saw her stepping into the bathroom. He sighed and finished his cup of tea. He had this nagging sensation that there would be more to the Venetian than just fine dining and gondolas.

xXxXx

Phoenix and Maya arrived at the steakhouse in fairly nice clothing. Instead of wearing jeans and a hoodie, he wore his normal blue suit with a little extra flair; he decided to put a vest of a lighter blue inside the coat jacket, and kept his coat unbuttoned. Maya wore a purple sparkly top and a long skirt with black flats. For once, she carried around a purse, but she never took off her beads or her necklace. Phoenix blushed a little when he saw Maya looking so different and mature. Maya smiled politely, and blushed a little as well when she saw Phoenix looking sharp in a suit she's never seen before.

They were able to find some seats and sat down. They ordered their drinks first. Phoenix decided to be classy and order some wine; since Maya was still under aged, she just asked for some water with no ice. The waiter nodded and walked away. Both looked at their menus, and realized something was wrong.

"Ermmm… Nick, there's too much thing to choose from! I don't know which one I should eat…!" Maya flipped through the menu looking at the delicious steaks on each page.

Phoenix, also frantically flipping through his menu, shook his head. "Uh… I actually don't understand why they have all these fancy names for steaks, but this is fine dining."

They told themselves to suck it up and deal with it, so they did. Maya chose the bone-in rib steak, and Phoenix ended up with a filet mignon. They received their drinks and food at the same time, and began to eat.

Maya took her first bite and her eyes grew wide. "Nick! This is so delicious! Mmm! Yummy!" She started eating the steak faster. Phoenix didn't think was his too bad either. Their idleness led to conversing, and they had an amazing time mocking rich people and their "fancy-pants"-ness.

xXxXx

Miles and Franziska didn't do much to dress up; they just wore their normal work clothes. Besides, wearing ruffles makes a statement. They arrived at the restaurant and got some seats. The place was surely exotic, and the lighting made all the difference. A waitress came by to serve them, and both asked for normal red wine. The waitress nodded and left to take their orders. Both flipped open their menus, and their eyes grew wide with disbelief.

"This menu is in… English, correct?" Franziska raised one eyebrow at the random Italian scribble.

Miles squinted at the menu. "Um… I believe it is in Italian. Mixed with English. But mostly Italian."

He called their waitress over to help them with their seemingly foreign menu, and so she did. Franziska ordered the Stracchino Ravioli and Miles ordered the Black Spaghetti. The drinks were delivered before the food; the food then came soon after. They tasted their meals and found it to be amusing to the palate. They started talking, and Franziska particularly enjoyed illegally drinking alcohol; she was under aged.

xXxXx

Maya clutched Phoenix's arm as they walked down to the gondola dock. "Ooh, Nick, look." She pointed at the view outside of a large window; there was an ice-skating rink.

She looked at him pleadingly. "I didn't realize there was an ice-skating rink here. We're going to come back tomorrow, right? We have to see all the other cool stuff, too…!"

Phoenix jumped back a bit at her big, begging eyes. He nodded obediently; again, he could never refuse to comply with Maya's wishes. Maya smiled innocently, and clutched his arm tighter as they reached their destination.

The rides had to be made by reservation in person. Luckily, no one was riding any of the gondolas, and a gondolier was available to row them.

Phoenix and Maya climbed into the gondola, and the gondolier started moving. He even started singing, too. It was a fluffy and romantic Italian song called "Santa Lucia". They floated down the path that was called the Grand Canal. The gondolier said that people in Italy have to travel like this all the time because Italy is also partially in water.

Maya smiled fascinated at the sights they floated by along the water. She looked from her right and left with dream-like eyes and a wondrous smile. She looked to Phoenix, and smiled wider. Phoenix stared at _her_ fascinated, and he had the urge to do something. He leaned forward, and slowly, his lips molded into Maya's to form a kiss. No, it wasn't just a simple touch of the surface of the lips; it was an actual kiss. One that lasted for about ten seconds or more, too.

He pulled away, and found Maya blinking excessively at him. Then she smiled wishfully and whispered, "Thank you." She looked back at the sights floating by her with a crimson tint on her face. Phoenix didn't know whether it was the wind pinching her cheeks, or she was blushing. Then he remembered that getting a kiss from him was on her list. _He_ smiled wishfully and pulled Maya closer to him. Maya looked surprised at first, but she just accepted it and snuggled closer to him; after all, it was about 9:45 at night, and it was about 40-50 degrees that night.

All the while, the gondolier just stood, rowing, behind them, watching the whole romantic scene unfold in front of him. He smiled knowingly and just kept rowing the gondola.

xXxXx

Now it was Franziska's and Miles's turn to ride the gondola. Even though both pairs were at the same place at about the exact same time, they never saw each other.

They got on and underwent the same path Phoenix and Maya took. Franziska looked with wonder and impression at the sights that slowly went by her. Miles looked at Franziska, admiring her beauty. He sat and closed his eyes, and strangely, so did Franziska. She remembered passing by an interesting Chrismtas tree and an ice skating rink. She hadn't been ice skating since being back at home in Germany, so she took note of that.

Then she also thought of the kiss with Miles under the mistletoe. She was a bit irritated by it, and decided that maybe she wants revenge. She smirked when she came up with the perfect plan. She opened one eye, and she found that Miles still had his eyes closed. Big mistake! She quickly pushed him off the gondola and into the cold water, and both the gondolier and Miles were shocked.

Franziska laughed triumphantly, while Miles shivered in the freezing cold water.

"Ha! Revenge for that mistletoe kiss, fool! Ha ha ha!" She was laughing so hard, so hard that she was off-guard. To get her back, Miles pulled Franziska in the water with him. She screamed when the pangs of cold hit her whole body. She was seething with anger while Miles laughed triumphantly also. She splashed his face with the cold water, and that sure did shut him up. He screamed a manly yell when the cold water stabbed his face. Franziska giggled, now; it wasn't about triumph and revenge anymore; it was just plain hilarious. They started splashing each other with the cold water playfully, until the gondolier poked both of their heads with his paddle.

"Get out of the water unless you want hypothermia."

Miles and Franziska immediately stopped laughing and splashing and got back on the gondola. The gondolier mumbled, "You're lucky I have warm towels on this thing…"

Franziska whipped around and gave him two strikes with her whip.

"You are the fool here, you foolishly foolish fool."

The gondolier looked offended, and Franziska just smirked. She turned back around and continued observe the sights…

All the meanwhile Miles and Franziska were holding hands.

_"On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree._

_What kind of person gives people these things, anyway?"_

* * *

I didn't realize that the Venetian had so much interesting sights and was as romantic as it is! I didn't know there was a fancy skating rink, and since I was extremely tired to write more, I just said that they'd come back later. It's sort of sad how I live in Vegas and I don't know a single thing about the casinos on the Strip, and I have to do extensive research on it.


	17. Day 17 - 8 Days Before Christmas

Short, but fluffy! Please enjoy!

* * *

"Ugh. Nick. I'm tired." Maya rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Well, I'm glad we agree on something, for once." Phoenix stretched his arms and yawned also.

They didn't do much that night; after the gondola ride, they went straight back to the hotel and hopped into bed early. The case was that both barely slept a wink that night; they were just lying in bed thinking about the kiss. Phoenix wondered why he did that, and Maya wondered why she didn't react as panicked as she thought she'd react. As a result, sleep was at its bare minimum, and though both had planned to come back to the Venetian that night, they decided they were too tired (again) to go anywhere that day.

So, for the rest of the day, Maya and Phoenix did nothing. Well, maybe something.

"Nick! *huff puff* Stop... ha ha ha ha... it...! Hee hee hee hee!" Phoenix was rambunctiously tickling Maya, and she couldn't do anything to defend herself. She tried once or twice to tickle back, but he caught her hand many a time, and put it back where it belonged – not near him.

Phoenix laughed. "You sound like Chief Gant!"

"W-Who? EEK!"

Apparently, Phoenix hit an especially ticklish spot on her right side. He grinned devilishly and continued to tickle there. She laughed harder and harder until she was crying and gasping saying she couldn't breathe. This was the time Phoenix stopped; his fingers needed a break, and he didn't want to get to the point of killing Maya with laughter.

Maya took a short break to catch her breath and wipe up the tears. Her convalescence was awfully short and she decided to take revenge. She immediately sprang on Phoenix and started tickling him. It may not seem like it, but Phoenix is actually a very ticklish person.

Maya smiled with delight now that she could take revenge for Phoenix suddenly tickling her. He was laughing harder and harder until he started to cry and gasping saying he couldn't breathe. Maya stopped and fell down laughing herself. She thought it was absolutely hilarious that she could make a 26 year-old man cry tears of laughter.

Suddenly, both stopped laughing. They just lied down on the carpet of the room and caught their breaths. They happened to lie down with their heads touching each other. They looked at each other and smiled. They made themselves extremely tired, and neither could get up. Maya and Phoenix just decided to take a nap on the floor together, and so they did. Maya's head rested on Phoenix's arm, and one hand rested on Phoenix's chest.

Phoenix thought he saw a smile just before he fell asleep.

xXxXx

_What? Why does it suddenly feel so hot?_

Miles woke up with a burning sensation spreading throughout his entire body. Franziska was still asleep in front of him, and he pulled her closer to him so he could completely envelop her small frame in a hug.

"Little Brother? Why do you feel so hot?" Franziska woke up and let herself go from the hug. She felt his forehead. "Miles, your temperature seems higher…!"

She immediately got up and got a thermometer. His temperature was 99.9 degrees Fahrenheit. He had a slight fever, but it was enough to make Franziska panic.

She had no idea what to do; she was never good at dealing with people. She just winged the way she took care of him. She decided that the fever must be cooled down first, so she put a cold, damp towel on his forehead. They didn't have any medicine with them, so they were just going to have to deal with eating healthy and non-medicinal cures. Franziska made him soup, with which she spoon fed him.

After the soup, Miles immediately fell asleep. Franziska stared at his sleeping face for a while, and she brushed some hair out of his face and went to change the towel on his forehead. She put the towel on his head, but then he mumbled something.

"Franziska… lap… pillow…"

Franziska put her ear closer to his mouth and asked him to say it again.

"Could I use your lap as my pillow…?"

She stared with disbelief at the request for a while, and then she agreed. She carefully lifted up his head and she got in the bed. She moved the pillows and finally set down Miles' head back down on her lap. She found his eyes open, and she smiled sympathetically. He smiled back with a short laugh and closed his eyes again. Franziska found herself staring at his face and his hair. His hair seemed so soft, and she just wanted to reach out and start stroking it. Unfortunately, she couldn't control herself and she started stroking his hair. She tried to regulate herself by specifying an amount of time she could spend caressing his hair, but she just kept extending the time until she was just stroking it uncontrollably.

Miles smiled a small smile. Even though he was sick, he was in heaven. He was sleeping on Franziska's lap, and she was stroking his hair lovingly. Each stroke hypnotized him into a deep sleep, and even Franziska decided to doze off with her hand still on Miles' head.

_"On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree."_

* * *

For some reason, when I write that last quote in italics, I keep on typing "2 turtle ducks".


	18. Day 18 - 7 Days Before Christmas

I'm sort of having a Frozen obsession right now... I really love Kristen Bell (Anna) and Idina Menzel (Elsa, but she's forever Elphaba to me!), and Disney had some great songs in that movie. Please enjoy this extremely late chapter!

* * *

"Do you want to build a snowmaaaaaaaaaan?! C'mon, let's go and play!"

Maya popped out from behind the couch and put her hands on Phoenix's shoulders. She cocked her head to one side and quickly raised her eyebrows while grinning wide.

Phoenix furrowed his eyebrows in recognition. "What...? Isn't that from the movie we watched earlier, _Frozen_? And plus, what snowman? We can't build a snowman without snow."

Maya thought for a bit, and re-phrased the thing she wanted to say.

"Niiiiiiiick...! Guess whaaaaaaaat...?"

Phoenix regretted answering the question. The past times that Maya asked that question never turned out well; that was what put them in Vegas in the first place.

Yet, he still responded, "What?"

Maya smiled, giddier this time. "It's exactly one week before Christmas Day!" She clapped her hands excitedly and bounced on her toes. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christ-maaas! Eve-rywhere you goooooo!"

Phoenix crinkled his eyebrows in confusion. "And so...?" _Why is she quoting Christmas songs...? It's not that she has an ugly singing voice – it's very beautiful, in fact – but... You know what, never mind..._

Maya made her eyes grow wide. "What do you mean 'and so'? I'm obviously hinting that you should have an awesomely awesome special surprise for meeee!"

He yelled in shock. "WHAT?! This whole goddam- gosh darn trip is my Christmas present to you, isn't it?!"

They heard a voice come from the room next door. "Shut up, fools!"

Phoenix and Maya hushed their voices for a second, and Maya started to speak again, this time softer.

"Well, not exactly, but it doesn't have to be an expensive surprise, right?"

He stared at her and blinked. He shook his head as a sign of shaking off the subject, and continued on to a new subject. "We shouldn't do anything today; plus, it's already getting late."

Maya yelled, "WHAT?! But, Nick! We've been sitting here for da-"

"What did I say, fools?! I said to SHUT UP!"

Franziska's voice was heard again through the walls hissing.

Once again, Maya and Phoenix quieted their voices, but continued talking.

"Like I was saying, we've been sitting here for days, doing nothing!"

"What are you talking about? This morning, we watched _Frozen_, which I'm pretty sure counts as 'doing something.'"

Maya shook her head and just said, "Alright, alright! Just… Can you please just at least get me something for Christmas? …Please?"

Phoenix looked at her for a while, and nodded. "Yeah, sure…"

Maya smiled and sang softly, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…"

xXxXx

"Franziska… Wake up…"

Miles was poking her face as she slept peacefully by the side of the bed on his arm. She woke up with a start. Miles was about to say something when she immediately placed her hand on his forehead. Franziska sighed with relief.

"Well, at least you're getting better. But. We are not going ANYWHERE until you completely get better. Clear?"

Miles nodded weakly and Franziska shuffled around to make breakfast.

"Hey, Franziska. It's one week before Christmas Day."

"So?"

"…Nothing. Just wanted to get that out there."

Franziska set down a plate of scrambled eggs, milk, and an orange on a tray and carried it to Miles, who was still sitting in bed.

She sat down on the chair next to the bed and watched, with a dream-like gaze, Miles eat breakfast.

"Do _you_ want breakfast, Franziska?" Franziska snapped to attention and, while blushing, quickly made toast for herself. "You've been acting awfully odd."

Franziska glanced annoyed, but continued eating her breakfast. She never answered the implied question of, "Why?"

Miles leaned over and put his lips close to her ear. He whispered with a smile, "Franziska, care to give an explanation?"

The poor girl turned red all over and tried to strike Miles once. Unfortunately for her, he caught the whip, as he had always done.

He smiled knowingly and shook his head. "Even when I am sick, I am still stronger than you."

Franziska growled menacingly, but the smug smile was still pasted on his face. Miles could be so cruel sometimes, but it was just the way their relationship worked; they would be cruel to each other, but they could also care for each other.

Even though he had made Franziska a fool of herself, she still thought he looked like a perfect angel when he was sleeping, and even kissed his forehead, which was extremely out of character for Franziska. Was she perhaps developing something for Miles?

_"On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 5 golden riiiiiiings… 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear treeeeee!_

_Maya, are you singing ugly on purpose?"_


	19. Day 19 - 6 Days Before Christmas

I have never been ice skating in my WHOLE LIFE, so I really didn't know how to write this, but all goes well, right? Please enjoy!

* * *

"Okay, Maya, we're going to do one thing today and one thing only: ice skating! We're going to go back to the Venetian and ice skate for the rest of the day!"

Phoenix, with a wide smile, announced to Maya their event for that day. She received the news with a bright smile and a giggle. She thanked him by tightly squeezing his arm. Then she immediately ran into the bathroom, and Phoenix heard the shower turn on.

Phoenix shook his head endearingly and rubbed the spot where she squeezed his arm. "That girl really is something else…"

xXxXx

"Ice skating? At the Venetian? But you're not even fully restored to health yet."

Franziska crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow.

Miles smiled warmly. "I'm fine, Franziska. Plus, I know you want to go so badly. I can see it in your eyes." Franziska blushed and looked down. "You miss ice skating. Just like in Germany, isn't it?"

She nodded stiffly in recognition of the truth. "Y-Yes. I took figure skating as an extracurricular in high school…"

Miles smiled again, but this time, it was one of triumph. "Alright, then. I suggest you take a shower first."

She stood up and swiftly walked into the bathroom to take a shower. He kept the smile on his face and leaned back. "*sigh* Franziska will certainly be a sight to behold today…"

. . .

"Ah, wow! This is cool, Nick! An ice skating rink! I've never been to one. You never see one of these in LA, right?"

Phoenix nodded as he watched Maya take in the sight of a real ice skating rink. They rented their ice skates, and Maya stepped out onto the ice first. Immediately she slipped and fell right on her butt.

"Oww… I thought ice skating was about the same as roller skating, but apparently not. This will be harder than I thought… Ow…"

Meanwhile, Phoenix was skating quite nicely around the outdoor rink. He spotted Maya sitting down on the ice, and he swiftly and smoothly skated over to her and helped her up.

"You okay?" He held her hand tightly as she got up.

"Y-Yeah, I guess…" She realized that Phoenix was having no trouble at all whatsoever balancing on the ice. In fact, it seemed like he already knew how to ice skate! "Nick… Do you already know how to ice skate?"

He nodded. "Yup. I moved to Wisconsin once I was 12 and lived there until I came back to LA for college. I used to ice skate all the time. I'm a little surprised I still remember how to ice skate, but hey, I guess some things stick with you forever."

Maya could stand up, but she still needed some support. She was clinging to Phoenix's hand.

Phoenix smiled amused. "Here. Just hold my hand and we'll slowly ice skate around the rink. Does that sound good?"

Maya nodded, and he grasped her left hand with his own left hand. He stood behind her and put the other hand on her hip. Maya turned red a little, and Phoenix started to move. She tightly held Phoenix's hand as they moved slowly and carefully. At times, they would speed up, and others, they would slow down.

"I… I think I'm getting it!" Maya exclaimed with joy, but the words betrayed her. She fell over backwards.

Maya closed her eyes, bracing herself for another feel of the cold, hard ice, when she felt something warm and relatively soft instead. She opened one eye, and then opened both eyes. Phoenix was looming over her, and he had his arm around her back. Phoenix caught Maya before she toppled over, and he smiled in such a way that… the blush that Maya already had because Phoenix saved her was intensified. Her face turned such a dark shade of crimson that it looked like she ate a bucket of hot-chili peppers.

He helped her up again and they continued skating. The tinge of red on Maya's face still stayed there, though less as crimson. Maya still kept falling, but Phoenix's catches were not as embarrassingly romantic as that.

The romantic scene made quite a commotion, but on a different part of the rink, another crowd was forming around a pair. A specific couple – a female with platinum blue hair and a male with grey-silver hair – was supposedly a professional figure skating team…

. . .

"I haven't been to an ice skating rink for a while." Franziska sighed and gave a deep breath.

Miles nodded and sighed. "Yup. Do you think you still remember how to skate?"

Franziska thought about it for a bit, and smirked. "We'll see." She immediately glided on the ice after getting the rental skates, and she smoothly skated in a small circle in front of Miles. "Do _you_ still remember how to skate, Little Brother?"

Miles nodded and stepped on to the ice. He could stay up for a few seconds and skate around, but then his legs got wobbly and fell on the ground. He squinted at the sun, looking up. Then, suddenly, a figure covered the sun's glare.

"Need some help, Little Brother?" Franziska smiled-smirked and held out her hand. Miles turned a bright crimson as he grabbed Franziska's hand. He had never been dependent on anyone for anything, much less Franziska. It was usually her who would need the assistance, but now, here she is, helping him with something as simple as ice skating. (Okay, ice skating ISN'T that simple…)

After a couple minutes of re-teaching and falling down, Miles finally got the hang of it again. Pretty soon, they started to look like a figure skating team.

"Okay, Franziska, I'm going to spin you."

"Go ahead."

Miles let go of her left hand and grabbed her right. Franziska twirled gracefully, and Miles stopped her by wrapping his arm around her waist. She looked up at him dramatically, and he whispered in her ear, "Perfect as usual." His lips proceeded to move to her neck, but he stopped himself, seeing as they were in public, and Franziska's breathing stiffened.

Franziska smiled mysteriously and un-twirled herself out of his grasp. They continued to do graceful and professional moves, and eventually got themselves an audience. Earlier, they observed that a crowd was forming around a certain spiky-haired defense attorney and petite spirit medium, and Miles and Franziska were a little disappointed to see that Phoenix and Maya were at the same place they were… again.

For the rest of the day, both pairs had fun skating on the ice, and a couple mishap encounters with each other were involved. Maya bumped into Miles and/or Franziska many times, causing them to ruin their skating experience. Phoenix got whipped several times for just being incompetent. All in all, both pairs created some fascinating memories that day.

_"On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 6 geese a-laying, 5 golden rings… 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree."_


	20. Day 20 - 5 Days (feat the author!)

This chapter has me, the author, in it! Yayz! I've never really inserted myself in a fic before...

Days 20 and 21 will mostly be focusing on the adventures of Phoenix and Maya, but I'll make it up to the Mitsumei fans by making Days 22 and 23 mostly about Franziska and Edgeworth. Please enjoy!

* * *

"Ahhhh… Isn't this so odd, Nick?" Maya leaned back on the couch and sighed. "It's exactly 5 days until Christmas Day, and it doesn't even feel like it's gonna be Christmas."

Phoenix nodded and looked back at his iPad. "Yeah, I guess you're right…" He was browsing on the internet to see if there was possibly anything he could get her for Christmas that didn't cost too much. He was looking at anime stuff, and he found an anime store in Vegas called Anime Revolution. It was in Town Square.

"Maya, come over here…" He called Maya over to his side and showed her the website of the store. Her eyes widened at the name of the store, and immediately wanted to go there.

"Nick, let's go there. Like, right now." She didn't even let him say anything in this. He had just enough time to grab his wallet and jacket before she dragged him out of the hotel and grabbed a cab.

"To Town Square, please!"

The driver said that was a far ways off, and that they should probably take a bus instead. He said that it would cost less. Maya just shrugged her shoulders and said okay. Phoenix mentally sighed of relief.

They took the bus to Town Square, and found that it was a nice, outdoor shopping center. They took a map and tried to see where it was, but they got distracted along the way. They stopped by a burger shop called I Love Burgers, and they stopped by Yogurtland. Pretty soon, they actually went on a shopping spree. It wasn't really for clothing, but it was more of a food spree. Candy, chocolate, sub sandwiches, pretzels… you name it. They also stopped by the Apple Store. Maya begged for an iPod or anything to take home from there, but Phoenix slapped the hope out of her by blatantly stating "no".

Phoenix and Maya finally arrived at Anime Revolution, where they found dozens of people – of all ages – looking at the merchandise and taking pictures with the cosplayers. They mostly observed that school girls in uniforms were looking at the manga or the cute cat ears. Maya walked up to two girls that looked like the age of 12 in very preppy uniforms. Phoenix identified them as Challenger uniforms. They were arguing about something – it seemed like the DVD in one of their hands' with the title of "Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Look, I'm getting this today, okay? Plus, you're already getting an FMA DVD from Gabby!"

"Uh, no, I'm not. She's getting me an FMA: Brotherhood DVD, not FMA."

"Ugh! Taz…"

"Um, excuse me…?"

The two girls snapped out of their argument and turned to look at Maya, who smiled.

"Um, hello! I was just wondering if you know where the Steel Samurai stuff is…?"

One of the girls nodded and pointed to a shelf in the far corner of the store. "Yup! It's right back there. I love the Steel Samurai series, ESPECIALLY the Pink Princess. It's just too bad that this store doesn't have much merchandise on it." The girl smiled and held out her hand. "Oh! I should probably introduce myself. My name's S––––, but you can just call me Shai."

The other girl smiled too and held out her hand. "My name's T–––––, but you can just call me Taz."

Maya smiled back and shook both of the girls' hands. "Well, hello, Shai and Taz! My name's Maya!"

Shai clapped her hands and pointed at Maya. "I knew it! I knew you looked familiar! You're Maya Fey, right?"

Maya looked taken aback and nodded slowly. "Y-Yes… How did you know my full name…?"

Phoenix knew this was going to get a little creepy and maybe a little scary, so he stepped in. "Uh, your name was Shai, right? Well, Shai, I don't know how you got Maya's full name but-"

Taz gasped and pointed at Phoenix. "And you're Phoenix Wright! Right… Wright?"

Phoenix looked shocked as Shai and Taz giggled with delight.

"H-How do you know my name? I never said it…"

Shai giggled again. "How could I not?! You're the amazing defense attorney Phoenix Wright, protégé to Mia Fey!"

Taz added, "And you're the amazing assistant-spirit medium Maya Fey, the loyal friend of Phoenix Wright! And possibly even more…"

Both girls giggled evilly, and Phoenix and Maya started getting scared. "Wh… What? How do you know so much about us?"

Shai put her hands in a thinking position, the exact same way Maya did so. "Didn't you know, Mr. Wright? You're the most famous thing alive! Well, with us, anyway. You're THE famous defense attorney who would strike fear into the hearts of the evil, and be the hero for the innocent! You have a whole video game franchise circling around your very life! A manga series started, too, and that was one of the reasons we came here; I wanted to read that first volume right away!"

She sighed. "Wow! I can't believe I'm meeting Mr. Wright and… Ms. Fey!" Shai giggled again. "Wow! I love how that rolls off my tongue!"

Maya turned red and waved her hands. "Oh, no, please don't call me that! That title is reserved for my sister; just call me Maya!" She gave a thumbs-up.

Taz's and Shai's eyes went wide. "You're… You're not kidding? We can call you Maya?" Both of the girls looked at each other and shrieked.

Taz asked shyly, "Umm… Maya, Mr. Wright… Can we have a picture with you?"

Maya nodded and said proudly, "Of course! C'mon, Nick! That includes you, too!" She violently motioned for him to come near and take a picture. Phoenix sighed, but he took a picture anyway; he liked having fangirls who genuinely appreciated his work.

They took several pictures, actually. After more drabbles and conversation, the pair left. Phoenix and Maya left without actually buying anything, but they both left satisfied. They made two girls' dreams come true when Shai and Taz met them.

The whole time this was happening, Miles and Franziska were just peacefully sitting at The Coffee Bean in Town Square, drinking tea and reading a book. Franziska sat close next to Miles, and were reading the same book: _The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_. Even though it was short, it was a good mystery/horror book, and they enjoyed reading it together.

_"On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 7 swans a-swimming, 6 geese a-laying, 5 golden rings… 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree."_

* * *

I just finished reading _Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_, and it's actually a really good book. For those who love classic literature, and don't mind having to spend a little bit of time analyzing the language, this book is a really good read. ESPECIALLY if you don't know what the story behind it is...


	21. Day 21 - 4 Days Before Christmas

This chapter's short, and it doesn't go into detail of Phoenix's and Maya's trip. Sorry xD  
Just enjoy the chapter anyway!

* * *

"Get off of your butt, Nick! We're going to go to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum today! I know for sure that an exclusive Steel Samurai sculpture's gonna be there, and, who knows, maybe you'll find something there, too!"

Maya crossed her arms with authority at a lazy-looking Phoenix, who had closed eyes and leaned back against the couch.

He opened one eye. "Hmm? Madame Tussaud's? Wax museum?" By the sound of his voice and the way he was acting, it seemed he was untouchable.

Maya nodded vigorously. "Yes! We're going to go to the famous wax museum!" She turned a slight shade of pink; Phoenix was looking very attractive in this laid-back form, and he casually took a bite out of his apple.

He stood up from the couch, put on his jacket, motioned for Maya to come out of the front door. She just stood dumbfounded. _Who is this… sexy person? This… This isn't Nick! _

"Well, Maya? Are you coming or what?"

Maya was snapped out of her thoughts and blushed. She grabbed her own jacket and rushed out of the door. They hopped onto a bus without saying a word, and they proceeded to go to the wax museum at the Venetian.

Already at the entrance, there were the Blue Man Group's statues welcoming the visitors. Maya gasped and immediately ran up to them. Even Phoenix couldn't believe these were just figures; they looked so real, and he had to restrain himself and Maya from touching them.

They toured the whole place, and it took some time, too. Maya reached the wax figure of the President, and she did not realize just how tall President Obama was. Even Phoenix had to look up to get a look at the wax figure's face.

"N-Nick... the President's scary, now that you think about it..."

Phoenix laughed and assured Maya that he wasn't the President for nothing by patting her on the head.

After they finished looking at all of the wax statues, Maya looked at her camera and sighed.

"*sigh* Gosh, Nick. That was crazy fun, but that was really tiring, too. See? Even Mr. Camera's tired. He barely has any room for any more pictures left..."

"Yeah, I think you're probably right. I realized just how short I am..."

They left the museum with a smile and a laugh, and walked out. It took the whole day touring the place.

"Nick, I'm hungry."

Phoenix sighed. _Here we go..._

xXxXx

"Tomorrow, Franziska. We'll go tomorrow. Tomorrow is our time to _really_ get out there and do some stuff."

"Of course it is, Miles. Of course it is..."

_"On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 8 maids a-milking, 7 swans a-swimming, 6 geese a-laying, 5 golden rings... 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree._

_Nick, what are the maids milking?_

_Err..." _


	22. Day 22 - 3 Days Before Christmas

Ah, yes! Let the Mitsumei action begin! I think this is one of my better written chapters... I don't know if you'll see the difference, but I hope you enjoy! I stayed up until 3 AM for this bad boy, so you better love it! I also wrote this while listening to Edgeworth's glorious theme, so you can obviously see why this chapter is one of my best ones. xD

* * *

"We've been idle for 3 days, Little Brother. What are we doing? I am getting a bit impatient."

Franziska stood up, crossed her arms, and looked at Miles impatiently, as she just said.

"Calm down, now, Franziska. You're getting childishly excited. We're going to go to the Stratosphere today."

She blinked, and then a wave of realization showed clearly on her face. "Oh, yes, the Stratosphere. I... I've been meaning to go there..."

Miles nodded and held out his arm. "Well, then, shall we get going? I already have a whole day planned there."

Franziska looked a bit taken back, but she took his arm, and they stepped out of the hotel. The wind was blowing at an interesting speed; not softly, but not harshly either. The wind blew Franziska's hair in the front of her face, and she swept it out of the way. Miles noticed and looked down a bit, blushing. They caught a taxi and drove to the Stratosphere.

Miles and Franziska looked up at the tallest building in Las Vegas. Franziska silently snapped a picture, and they proceeded to enter. They rode the elevator up to the restaurant at the very top of the Stratosphere, Top of the World. The restaurant provided a clear view of Las Vegas by tall, glass windows, and it rotated as you ate, so you could see all of Vegas as you tower above it.

Miles reserved a table for two very close to the windows. Franziska gasped softly at the sight. The buildings below were so small and tiny, and it seemed that she would fall if she looked on any further. She stepped back and took a picture; then sat down at her seat.

"Well, Miles… You've done it again… This is quite a fancy place. Are you sure I can just wear a casual skirt in a place like this?" Franziska smirked behind her menu.

"Of course, Franziska. I even looked it up, and the lunch dress code says 'casual'," Miles said smoothly behind his menu.

Franziska smirked again, this time without the menu in front of her face. "Oh? And what is the dinner dress code?"

Miles also looked up from his menu as well. "Business casual."

Both knew a laugh was coming up their throats, and both tried to hold it back. Unfortunately, neither could hold back from something this hilarious.

"Ha ha ha! 'Business casual'! How… How foolishly contradictory!"

"Yes, I nearly burst out laughing myself when I saw this the first time!"

Again, Franziska let slip that she could be human. There weren't much people there at this time, but the people who were there thought they might have been old, British men in disguise.

Franziska and Miles then focused back on their menus again, and decided what they wanted. Franziska ordered the vegetarian sandwich, and Miles got the seafood omelet.

"Any drinks for you guys?"

"Of course. Two glasses of red wine, please."

"What kind?"

"Whatever you recommend is best."

The waiter nodded and brought back two glasses of a sweet, Italian, red wine. They didn't have to wait long for their food, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

After the bill was paid, (which was quite a handsome sum, mind you), they headed down to the observatory area. There was an indoor and outdoor deck, and they chose the indoor deck first. They could have a better view of the Strip down below.

"Ah… Miles, wouldn't you think the outdoor observation deck at night would be the most ideal situation for viewing…?" Franziska pointed out as she snapped another photo.

Miles, not saying anything, just nodded. He mumbled, "You figured me out…" He said that they had one more thing to do, and they should rest there to let the food settle in their stomachs; the last thing they were going to do could probably make that food go back up. Franziska raised an eyebrow at this, but she was also curious; what dangerous thing might this be?

After 2 hours or so, they went back to the main hallways. They made an abrupt turn, and they found themselves at the SkyJump booth.

"What…? Is this the thing you were talking about?" Franziska asked cautiously. "This… is the highest controlled free fall in the world… And we're going to jump off of it…?" She started to slowly step behind Miles. "Like hell am I going to do that…!"

Miles pushed her back next to him, and held her hand tight. "Don't worry, I'll go first. And, there is a practice session, so you'll know how to do it when time finally comes." He smiled – a bit devilishly – and whispered in her ear, "If you'd like, I could catch you when you come down."

He truly enjoyed torturing her. The thought of jumping from something – even if it was controlled – that was 805 feet above ground was definitely terrifying, even for a Von Karma. Von Karmas are perfectionists, not daredevils. Yet, here was Miles, indirectly challenging a Von Karma's pride. Franziska had to agree. So, she did.

They went through the practice session, and finally, they made it to the real thing. Miles kept true to his word; he really did go first. After an employee attached the ropes and made sure they were secure, without a second thought, Miles jumped into the depths, yelling, until he reached the goal. Now it was Franziska's turn. She breathed in, then out, as the same employee attached the ropes to her girdle, and made sure they were secure. She looked out, and saw that Miles already had his arms outstretched, ready for her to fall into them.

Franziska closed her eyes and took the jump. She was screaming and yelling at first, but then it turned into laughter. The wind was whooshing into her ears, and she opened her eyes as she absorbed – what was left of it – the sights she passed by as she sped through the sky. Down, down, down she went, and she finally did fall into Miles' arms with a strong embrace.

She laughed, and the girdle and ropes were dissembled from her. Franziska hugged Miles one more time, and laughed triumphantly. She felt great – human, even. It was the most inhumane things ever done, but it felt humane to her. Both went back to the hotel feeling refreshed and born anew, like a flower blooming once again in spring after staying idle for four months during fall and winter.

Later that night, Miles mysteriously said, while sporting his usual ruffled suit, for Franziska to put on something semi-fancy, but something other than her usual blouse and skirt. Franziska looked at him questioningly, but willingly obeyed. She put on a long-sleeved, blue mini dress, and still wore her black stockings with her boots.

They went back to the Stratosphere, and they made their way to the outdoor observatory deck. Then Franziska realized what they were doing. But before she could say she realized what they were doing, Miles covered her eyes.

"Wha-"

"Hush, Franziska. Just go along with it."

She nodded stiffly. He led her somewhere that was extremely windy and cold and filled with noise.

"Surprise."

He uncovered her eyes, and she couldn't hold back her gasp. They were on top of the Stratosphere at night, when Las Vegas is truly alive, with the lights and people. Miles pulled out two already-filled glasses of wine, and they drank wine together while looking out at nighttime Vegas.

He pulled her closer to himself, and she didn't mind at all. Miles completely enveloped her in _his_ arms, in _his_ warmth, and Franziska just closed her eyes and enjoyed it all.

Miles could no longer contain himself, and he spun her around. He put his hands on her waist, leaned forward and down, and his lips met with Franziska's. Franziska put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her.

It was a long kiss, one that ensured something unknown, but true. They separated and just spent the rest of the night staring at the sights, close to each other.

Phoenix and Maya didn't do much that day, and they wondered why they heard Franziska laughing a bit when Edgeworth and Franziska finally got back to their room. Yeah, because Phoenix and Maya TOTALLY weren't stalking Edgeworth and Franziska. Totally.

_"On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 9 ladies dancing, 8 maids a-milking, 7 swans a-swimming, 6 geese a-laying, 5 golden rings… 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree."_

* * *

See how human Franziska can be? See how I did that? Actually, see how human Franziska and Edgeworth both were? Pretty neat stuff, right?


	23. Day 23 - 2 Days Before Christmas

This is a shorter chapter because I need to focus my time and energy on chapters 24 and 25 - the last chapters! They're the grand finale chapters! Please enjoy this one!

* * *

"It's...almost Christmas, Miles."

Franziska woke up and turned to face him, who was already awake. They stayed silent a while, but Miles abruptly ended the silence by saying they had to go home. Franziska blinked quickly, and then she shook her head.

"Wait, what? We're...leaving?"

Miles nodded. "We should spend Christmas at home, anyways." Then he smirked. "You don't want to leave yet, do you, Franziska?"

She turned a slight shade of red, but shook her head, almost childishly. Miles smiled warmly, but he still said that they had to leave. Franziska seemed like a child not wanting to leave the amazing sights of the carnival. She slowly got out of bed and started packing. He, too, got out of bed and prepared for the long trip back to Los Angeles.

_It is Christmas, after all..._

xXxXx

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Maya yelled at the top of her lungs. "We're going back to LA?! Already?!"

Maya and Phoenix both paused, waiting for the usual response of a certain blue-haired prosecutor next door. They heard nothing, and both looked at each other with eyebrows raised so high that it seemed like they didn't even have eyebrows. There was no sound – no crack of the whip, no yelling – just silence and the usual hum of the heater.

They looked at each other with wild, but grateful, eyes. They continued to argue.

"Yes, we're going back to LA. We should spend Christmas Eve and Day right at the office, at least. I mean, I like this hotel, but nothing compares to home."

Maya froze up a bit, thought about what Phoenix just said, and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." _Shoot! I still need to get him a present for Christmas morning...! _"Alright, then! Let's hurry up and pack!"

She started to run around the room, picking up anything that was hers and stuffing it in her suitcase. Phoenix just laughed to himself softly as he started packing as well.

_ Christmas, here we come!_

. . .

"Niiiiiiiiiiiick, are we there yet?"

Maya poked Phoenix in shoulder, and asked him again for the umpteenth time.

He sighed and answered the same way again. "Obviously not, Maya. Just sit there and be patient, okay? It's nighttime, go to sleep already..."

Maya said she didn't want to sleep, but at the exact same time, she yawned. Phoenix smirked smugly, and she stubbornly closed her eyes and went to sleep. Her head started nodding forwards and backwards, and all kinds of directions, so Phoenix just moved her head to rest on his shoulder. He felt obligated to make sure she didn't break her neck while sleeping, but all the while was blushing. He closed his eyes and started to fall asleep; Maya flashed a tiny smile and went back to sleep.

. . .

"Go to sleep, Miles. Park the RV and just rest. It will be Christmas Eve tomorrow." Franziska smiled reassuringly, but at the same time caustically. Miles nodded and sighed tiredly. He didn't know why, but driving for such long extents of time hurt his back.

Franziska climbed into the bottom bunk like she always did, and Miles immediately climbed in after her. She froze up a bit when he nonchalantly put his arms around her, but she relaxed and just fell asleep. Miles breathed Franziska's scent, in and out, through his nose, until he fell asleep. It was going to be a long day tomorrow; more driving, and he had still had to get Franziska a gift.

_"On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 10 lords a-leaping, 9 ladies dancing, 8 maids a-milking, 7 swans a-swimming, 6 geese a-laying, 5 golden rings... 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree._

_Gosh, Nick, who even has enough MONEY for all of this stuff?_

_Don't ask me..."_


	24. Day 24 - 1 Day Before Christmas

The last two chapters will most definitely be long ones, so... Enjoy!

* * *

After both couples reached home, they immediately dispersed to get their last-minute Christmas shopping done.

Phoenix was at Walmart looking for small Christmas trees when Edgeworth called.

"Edgeworth? What's up?"

"Wh...Where are you planning to spend your Christmas Eve?"

"Well... I was planning to spend it with Maya at the office. Why do you ask?"

"Franziska and I are going to spend the evening at my house, but... Maybe you two might be lonely, so... I want to invite you to my house for tonight."

Phoenix nearly dropped his phone and spit out his gum. Edgeworth? Inviting them to spend Christmas Eve with him and Franziska?

"Hello? Wright?"

"Uhh... S-Sure! We would love to...go to your house."

"Very well. I shall see you and Maya at 7 tonight for dinner."

"B-Bye. Wait."

"Yes?"

"Is this casual or what?"

"Just casual, Wright. But make sure to wear some classic winter sweaters." He snickered.

"Okay, then. B-Bye."

Edgeworth put down the phone, and Phoenix just stared at the nearly empty shelves of Walmart, listening to the buzz of the phone.

Phoenix then immediately knew that he had to change his shopping list a bit. Instead of buying presents for just Maya, he needed to buy two more: one for Edgeworth, and one for Franziska.

He already got a present for Maya, but what was he gonna get Edgeworth and Franziska? What was he going to bring the dinner? Not bringing anything to something (probably) as fancy as this is looked down upon. And what was he going to wear? _Oh, God, I'm starting to sound like a girl..._

. . .

"What do you get someone like Nick for Christmas?!" Maya stared at the ground while walking through a shopping district. She turned her gaze to her right. "What do you think, Pearly? What should I get him for Christmas? I already have one thing ordered, but I don't think it'll be enough…"

The young girl thought about it for a second, then giggled. "Well, Mystic Maya, I think the ideal gift for Mr. Nick would be something that isn't a material thing; it would be something that really showed your true love for him, so something like a kiss would be the best."

"PEARL!"

"But another gift would be..." Ignoring Maya's angry remark, Pearl looked at the shops they were passing by. "I think a-"

Suddenly, Maya's phone started to ring. Her ringtone was the Steel Samurai theme, the exact same one Phoenix had.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Maya."

"Oh, hi Nick! Why are you calling?"

"We were just going to spend Christmas Eve at the office, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well… Change of plans."

"What…?"

"We're going to spend it at Edgeworth's house instead with him and Franziska."

"WHAT?! Then that means… I gotta change my shopping list! Jesus Christ, why… What time?"

"7 o'clock for dinner."

"Is it formal or-"

"It's casual. Make sure to wear some 'ugly' winter sweaters."

"Haha, alright, then. You're going to pick me up to take me there, right?"

"Yeah, sur- Wait a sec. I don't have to pick you up!"

"Just pick me up, okay? I don't want to go to Edgeworth's house alone…"

"C'mon, Mr. Nick! You HAVE to pick Mystic Maya up on your way to Mr. Edgeworth's house!"

Pearl jutted in the conversation, and since Phoenix didn't want to let the poor girl down, he grudgingly agreed.

"Fine. I'll meet you at the train station at around… 6:30. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great! See ya there!"

They put down the phone, and Maya continued shopping with a new spring in her step. She suddenly had a lot to do before Christmas Eve.

xXxXx

"Just casual, Wright. But make sure to wear some classic winter sweaters."

Miles put down the phone and sighed.

"Miles, you're inviting Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey? Why?"

"Well, it would be a little lonely with just the two of us. The mansion is too big for just two people, you know."

Franziska nodded, but then stomped her foot. "Miles, you fool. Now I have to go out and buy gifts for those two as well!" She stood up and made her way out of the door. "I'll come back in about two hours or so."

Miles nodded nonchalantly when he realized what he had just done. Now he needed to buy more gifts as well.

"Ah, wait, Franziska! I'll go with you."

Franziska smirked as Miles got in the car with her. "I was wondering when you'll realize that."

While the two were gone, chefs cooked up not a great feast, but a normal, Christmas, dinner meal. The maids already set up the Christmas tree and decorated most of the house while Miles was gone, but they cleaned and decorated some more when they had caught wind that Master Edgeworth was going to have visitors.

. . .

"Oh my God, Nick. I didn't know Edgeworth lived in a freaking mansion…"

"Neither did I… The last time I was here, this was just a normal house…"

Phoenix and Maya stared in awe at Edgeworth's large hou- er, mansion. The entrance was very gaudy, as well. Fancy statues, fountains, and elaborate flora decorated with Christmas lights welcomed them at the front gate, where a guard let them in. If this was only the entrance, what would the inside be like? Phoenix and Maya, with their gifts and other things, slowly made their way to the – uh, "living room". (It was more of a lobby to a hotel, actually.)

There, Phoenix's and Maya's mouths dropped. There was a large Christmas tree in the center, and two, curved stairways led up to the second floor. At the foot of the stairs, Franziska stood in a black skirt, a red sweater that said, "Merry Christmas, fool", and, surprisingly, a Santa hat.

"Well, don't just stand there with your mouths gaping wide open, fools. Close the door and hurry up and go upstairs."

Phoenix and Maya quickly closed their mouths, and Phoenix asked where to put their presents and other things. Franziska just said to keep holding them until they got to a table up the stairs near the fireplace. She directed them to that place, and then directed them to the kitchen, where Edgeworth was talking to a maid.

"Is everything prepared? It is? Fine, you can have your break for now. But you make the best desserts, so you'll have to make our cake." He turned and saw Franziska with Maya and Phoenix. "Hello, Maya. Wright." He nodded to Phoenix, and Phoenix nodded back.

"Ah, I brought some champagne, if you don't mind…" Phoenix held out a wine bag.

Edgeworth nodded, took it from him, and gave it to a servant. The servant quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

"Wow, Mr. Edgeworth! Your house is so BIG!" Maya exclaimed. "Oh, yeah. I brought my Scrabble board game, so we could play that after dinner!"

He smiled. "Thank you, Maya. Now, come, have a seat."

For a big house like this, you'd be expecting a large table – like a long, banquet table – but no; it was just a normal-sized table fit for six.

Edgeworth and Franziska sat next to each other, and Phoenix and Maya sat next to each other; Phoenix sat across Edgeworth, and Maya sat across Franziska.

The servants started to bring out the food, one by one, and Phoenix could tell that Maya was on the verge of drooling because she kept looking at all the food, and her eyes with were wild with excitement and hunger.

Edgeworth finally announced that they could eat, and Maya was the first person to dig into the ham. This required some rambunctious movement, which was poorly received by Franziska. And thus, the noise of the Edgeworth mansion began.

After dinner, they moved to the fireplace, nice and full, ready to play Scrabble. More noise began to rise, as some people began to lose or win. The final result was with (surprisingly) Maya in first, then Franziska, then Edgeworth, and finally Phoenix in last.

"Who knew you'd be so bad at Scrabble, Nick?"

"Who knew _you'd_ be so GOOD at Scrabble, Maya?!"

Maya just laughed triumphantly, and announced that it was time to exchange gifts. She gave her presents to whomever it belonged to, and Phoenix did the same. Edgeworth handed over their gifts, and Franziska (grudgingly) handed over hers.

Phoenix and Maya left the mansion and went back to the office, but Maya did not go home to Kurain Village.

xXxXx

"What did you think of that little party, Franziska?"

"I think it was tiring. But I do admit, Scrabble was quite fun."

Miles smiled warmly and said that it was time to go to sleep.

"What? Shouldn't you see that I get home safely?"

"Who ever said anything about you going home?" Miles now smiled devilishly and slowly led Franziska to his room. "You're going to sleep with me…as usual."

Franziska stomped on the ground. "So that's why you made me bring something to sleep in…"

Miles nodded caustically and patted her head. "Of course, Franziska. Now, I think you should go dress up and get ready in the guest room across from here."

She sneered, but obeyed anyway. One of Miles' favorite hobbies: torturing Franziska. She brushed her teeth, and headed back into the master bedroom. She found that Miles was, once again, standing shirtless in front of her.

"M-Miles!" She turned a dark red and immediately stepped out of the room.

"Franziska, what's wrong?" He popped his head out of the room and ushered her back inside. "Just go to sleep, okay? I won't join you right away; I'll join you later."

She didn't care if he joined her now or later; what really mattered was that if he was going to put on a shirt or not.

By the time Miles did get into the bed, he had not put on a shirt. He assumed his position next to Franziska, put his arms around her, and pulled her closer to him.

Franziska turned such a deep shade of crimson that she was thankful for the darkness. She could not sleep at all with a shirtless, muscled Miles right behind her. She knew immediately that it was going to be a long night.

xXxXx

"Hey, Maya, why aren't you going home? It's pretty late at night, now…"

"Well that's because I'm going to sleep here tonight!"

Phoenix looked at Maya, who was already holding a blanket and her pajamas, with shock.

"What are you talking about? Even I'm not going to sleep here tonight! I don't have my pajamas here!"

Maya held out a pair of blue-striped pajamas and a blue-striped polo shirt. "Yeah you do, Nick. Here," She tossed them to Phoenix, "I'll dress up first, and then you, okay?"

Before Phoenix could get a chance to say anything, Maya rushed into the bathroom to dress up. Now he was forced to have an office sleepover with Maya on Christmas Eve.

"Uhh… Where are we going to sleep?"

Phoenix eyed Maya menacingly. "Well, this was your idea, so I'm assuming you have something!"

She thought deeply about it for a few seconds. "I have an idea! Why don't we both sleep on the couch together!?"

He stared at her for a bit. "What? That's absurd!" Then he thought about it for a while, too. _I don't know why, but I've really wanted to… I guess, be something more than friends with Maya. _He agreed to the idea; plus, he was extremely tired.

Phoenix went on the couch first, then Maya slept on top of him. Actually, what ended up actually happening was that they could fit on the couch without being on top of one another, but they had to be really close. Neither minded at all and just made themselves comfier. Phoenix put his arm around Maya's shoulders, and Maya just squeezed herself to Phoenix as tightly as possible.

The things that Christmas Day could bring could be more than just presents.

_"On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a-leaping, 9 ladies dancing, 8 maids a-milking, 7 swans a-swimming, 6 geese a-laying, 5 golden rings… 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree."_


	25. Day 25 - It's Christmas!

Merry Christmas, guise! Here is my present to you! I hope you like this extra-long chapter! I actually stayed up until 3 AM to finish this, but that isn't your fault; it's mine. I was WAAYYYYYYY too busy playing T&T. Anyway, enjoy the last chapter! (Or so you think...)

* * *

"NICK NICK NICK NICK NICK NICK NICK NICK NICK! WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAASSS!"

Maya shook Phoenix as hard as she could to wake him up.

"Maya, Maya, I'm awake... Mmph... I think..."

"C'mon, Nick! It's time to open presents!"

Phoenix finally opened his eyes and found the eyes of his assistant, whose eyes were glowing like a child's on Christmas morning... wait, she IS a child on Christmas morning. He smelled a hint of French toast and eggs steaming from the other side of the office.

"Get UP, Nick! You and I BOTH have presents to open!"

She started pulling him off of the couch to drag him to the small Christmas tree set up in the office with the few presents they received last night.

"Alright, alright! I'm up! Don't drag me to the tree! No one wants to see that..."

"My presents first, okay?!" Without waiting for an answer, Maya ripped open the gift she received from Edgeworth, which was the largest of them all.

"You know, Nick, I was thinking that you'd have the largest present for me, but apparently not... OH MY GOD! It's a Pink Princess figurine! This isn't even out in stores yet!" She gasped in delight and noticed a note that came with it. "Oh, there's a note! Let's see..."

Here was what the note said:

For Maya,

I have received two of these from Ms. Oldbag when I went to Global Studios the other day, so I assumed you would want this one. Have a Merry Christmas.

From,

Miles Edgeworth

While Maya was reading the letter, Phoenix looked over her shoulder and read on with her and even endearingly put his hand on her shoulder.

After reading the letter, they both stared at each other awkwardly.

Maya raised both of her eyebrows. "Well, I guess there are perks to being 'friends' with that old bag after all…"

More awkward silence continued. "Uhh… Moving on…" Phoenix shoved Franziska's present into Maya's hands. This one was smaller, and had a nice, pretty ribbon on top. Maya opened it and smiled. She quickly glanced at the small card and threw it aside, and immediately looked at the item. The note only said three words: "For Christmas, fool."

"AWESOME! It's a Steel Samurai hair pin." She tried it on and looked in the mirror. She smiled even bigger and turned to look at Phoenix for reassurance to make sure it did look good on her. He gave a small smile. _How did Franziska even have time to get this…? It was a last-minute thing! _

"Alright! Now it's time for your present, Nick!" Maya rushed back to her spot near the tree and saw Phoenix's flimsy packaging. It looked pitiful next to Edgeworth's and Franziska's, and it seemed like it had no bulk at all.

"Nick…?" Maya frowned. "Wh…What is this?"

Phoenix nodded and urged for her to open it. "It's your present, obviously. Go on, open it."

Maya eyed the sorry-looking packaging and carefully tore it open. It was actually a medley of small, knick-knack-like things, but the main thing was a glossy magazine. She squealed loudly the second she saw the thin book.

"Oh, wow, Nick! It's a rare issue of the Steel Samurai manga! Where did you get this?!"

Phoenix smiled proudly. "You'd never know what you'd find at thrift shops and dollar stores. Come on, look at the other stuff!"

Maya smiled amused, and proceeded to see what other things Phoenix gave her. A Pink Princess necklace and earrings set, a Steel Samurai pencil-and-eraser set, and a Nickel Samurai bookmark was found with the manga.

Maya smiled, laughed, squealed, screamed… She emoted so much that Phoenix didn't even know what she was doing anymore. She gave him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. Phoenix blushed a bit, but smiled satisfied. Once again, he was able to make Maya as happy as can be, and all that he really needed was her smile.

Now it was Phoenix's turn.

"C'mon, Nick! Now it's your turn to open your presents, you old geezer!"

Said "old geezer" just sighed and took Edgeworth's present first. It was a bottle of fancy wine. His note said: "Grow up a little, will you Wright?" Phoenix smirked, and hoped that his reaction to this present would be the same reaction Edgeworth had to _his_ present. Phoenix set it aside and opened Franziska's next. It was a razor. Maya laughed and nudged Phoenix to read the note out loud.

"'To shave off your foolishness. And if you ever REALLY grow out any facial hair that you might want to shave off along with your foolishness.' What?"

Maya just laughed harder and poked Phoenix to open her present.

"I'll think you'll really like mine. It's the most awesomest thing ever!"

"…New ties?"

"And not just ANY tie! Your plain ol' red ties are really boring, so I decided that you should have some ties with some extra flair to it! See? These have different designs! This one has the Steel Samurai on it… This one has the Magatama on it… And this one has your objection bubble stuff on it!"

Phoenix looked very closely at each tie Maya showed him. He didn't like the Steel Samurai one as much, but he admitted that the Magatama one and the objection bubble was pretty neat.

"Cool, right?! Merry Christmas, Nick!" Maya gave another hug to Phoenix, and this time, he returned it tightly.

He said warmly, "Merry Christmas, Maya."

"Now, let's go eat breakfast!" Maya hopped out of his grasp and made a heroic pose.

"…What breakfast? We're not going out…are we?"

Maya shook her head and laughed. "Of course not, Nick! Well, not yet, anyway." He gave a worried look. Maya continued. "I dropped by your apartment to make a special Christmas breakfast! By the way, you definitely need a whole bunch more stuff in that kitchen of yours."

Phoenix didn't even pay attention to that last part. He didn't even notice how Maya got in his apartment. He then realized what he was smelling earlier in one corner of the office wasn't just his imagination; there really were French toast and eggs steaming on a plate. By now, of course, the food had cooled down, but he was really thankful that Maya thought about making something. Hopefully, the food is good.

"C'mon, Nick! Time for breakfast! If you don't want any, I'm just fine with that. I tasted it earlier this morning, and it tasted great, so I'll eat them all of if you don't want it…"

"Hey, don't eat them all! I want to taste, too!"

Phoenix playfully knocked over Maya as she was about to take a bite of her eggs. He pinned her down to the floor, and he leaned in with a smirk on his face. Maya's cheeks puffed up in annoyance, which was also red with fluster.

"G-Get off of me, Nick! I really didn't mean to eat them all… You know, I'm hungry, you're hungry, so let's just eat the breakfast in peace, right? …Right?"

Phoenix locked his gaze with hers, and the longer he stared into her eyes, the redder she turned. He moved his gaze down to her lips, and Maya closed her eyes as she felt Phoenix get closer and closer. Suddenly, the weight was lifted off of her, and one eye peeked open. Phoenix was just silently sitting and eating the French toast. Maya quickly got up, and, trying to shake off the events of just three seconds ago, asked him casually, "So, what do you think of it? I think it's pretty good, if I do say so myself."

Phoenix smiled and nodded. "It's delicious. I didn't know you could cook, Maya." A smirk quickly flashed on his face.

Maya again puffed out her cheeks. "Of course I can cook! I live alone, and I can't go out to eat all the time, so I gotta learn how to cook something!" She quickly changed disposition. "Oh, do you want some orange juice, Nick?"

He nodded, and Maya poured him a glass of orange juice. Phoenix took a drink of it, and was smiling the whole time. Maya couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, and felt that he was up to something. She felt that he was… in control of her feelings, somehow. She slowly put her mental barriers up.

After breakfast, Maya quickly turned on the TV to watch the Christmas special cartoons. Phoenix just sat there, taking a quick nap, while she watched Tom and Jerry. She knew she had to get revenge for Phoenix nearly kissing her, and she knew he had his walls down, so she switched from defense to offense.

"Hey, Nick!"

"What-"

Phoenix was cut off by Maya suddenly kissing him on the lips. Maya separated and smiled like it was no big deal.

Phoenix sighed. "Hey, that was MY trump card… Oh well." He turned to Maya. "I have something to tell you." Maya looked at him and questioningly. He leaned forward and returned the kiss, more passionately and longer this time. He grinned. "Love you!"

Maya knew he had the better of her this time as she blushed and covered her face with her hands. It was rare for Phoenix to be aggressive; it was usually _her_ who influenced him, and _her_ who always got the last laugh. But now… Maya couldn't say anything snarky back.

"W-What?"

Phoenix just grinned wider and said, "Merry Christmas, Maya! This was my last present for you!"

Maya was so happy and surprised that she started to cry. She immediately fell in Phoenix's arms and gave him a tight hug. She mumbled into his shirt, "I…love you, too, Nick…"

Phoenix just smiled and lifted her face up. "Maya, don't cry. It's Christmas morning." He wiped the tears from her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I've always wanted to be your boyfriend, you know…"

Maya laughed. "Lucky for you then! I've wanted to be your girlfriend…!" She started to kiss Phoenix rambunctiously while laughing and crying at the same time. They shared Christmas morning together – knowing that they were more than "just friends".

xXxXx

Franziska and Miles woke up at the same time, and both got up at the same time. They silently went to the kitchen, where the presents they received last night were resting. Franziska was silent and acting mature, but Miles could see the childish gleam in her eye. He chuckled softly as he thought of a 3-year-old Franziska in Germany, pulling him down the stairs at 6 AM to open the presents with her. Christmas was the one day when her father was a just a little nicer to them.

Franziska broke the silence in the real world, and broke Miles' thoughts. "Shall we get this over with? Who's going first? Oh… I suppose you should go first, Little Brother. You ARE the little brother after all…" She started the day bright and early with a smirk on her face. Miles just shook his head and took the present from Phoenix.

It was a bowtie. A card came with it, too. It said: "Remember when you used to wear this kind of stuff all the time back in fourth grade? I think you need to loosen up a bit. Happy Holidays!"

Miles looked at the bowtie and shook his head. Franziska raised an eyebrow at it, but let him continue. The next present was from Maya. It was a rare Steel Samurai trading card. Miles quickly shoved it back in its envelope before Franziska could see, and quickly read the card that came with it. It said: "Merry Christmas, Mr. Edgeworth! I know you like these, and I had an extra one, so I decided to give it to you! By the way, did you know there's going to be an anime convention in Vegas coming up right after New Years'?" He immediately took a mental note of the convention, and promised to himself to look it up later. Even after this odd reaction, Franziska still said nothing and let him open his last gift without saying a word.

A thick pocketbook on logic was Franziska's gift. Inserted inside the book was a fancy bookmark with… a Steel Samurai design on it. Miles looked at Franziska wildly, but Franziska just smirked quietly, "There's nothing I don't know about you, Miles Edgeworth."

Miles felt a cold shiver go down his spine, but he didn't mind it. He let Franziska open Phoenix's present, then Maya's. Phoenix gave her a whip keychain, and Maya gave her a bracelet that read "Perfection". Franziska was actually a bit pleased with these gifts, and wore the bracelet right away.

Last was Miles' gift, which was nowhere to be found.

"Miles, where is your gift…?"

He just smiled and pulled it out. It wasn't even wrapped; a velvet box was hiding in Miles' pocket. He slowly opened it, and it showed a beautiful necklace inside. It was real silver, and the crystal in the middle was real turquoise lined with real gold. Franziska didn't say a word, but a small gasp escaped her lips and her eyes brightened.

Miles offered to put it on her, and Franziska agreed. He walked up behind her. She lifted her short hair up a bit and he slipped the necklace on. She admired the necklace with a small smile, and Miles watched her, while smiling himself.

Miles grabbed the hand that wasn't busy admiring the necklace and held it tight in his own. Franziska looked up in surprise, and she dropped the hand that was on her necklace, only to be grabbed by Miles' last available hand.

"Wha-"

"Franziska von Karma. You know of our behavior towards each other for the last few days, correct?" She nodded, and he continued. "I think you know what that means. I… You…stole my heart…and…never gave it back."

Franziska retorted softly, "I can't help the fact that you are a fool for falling for me in the first place… And I am a fool for falling for you…"

Miles just gave a small smile, and kissed her on the lips. Long, smooth, and perfect; after doing so for about three times already, they had enough practice, but, this was the formal message of three simple words: I Love You.

The kiss never broke; it kept going. Miles did just have his hands on her hips, but it started moving upward in a motion to take off her shirt. At this, Franziska immediately stepped back. She wagged her finger in the air tauntingly and smirked.

"No, Little Brother. Good little boys don't do that… yet."

Miles eyes' grew wide, then he just laughed softly.

"Well, then… Breakfast, Franziska?"

She nodded, and, with Miles' arm around her, they walked to the dining area. Miles was impatient, but in due time, he will get what he wants.

_"On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 12 drummers drumming, 11 pipers piping, 10 lords a-leaping, 9 ladies dancing, 8 maids a-milking, 7 swans a-swimming, 6 geese a-laying, 5 golden rings… 4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree."_


	26. Epilogue 1

Introducing... Epilogue #1! "#1, you say? That means there are more epilogues!" Is what you might say, but, who knows... maybe I'm just tricking you... Anyway, thank you, ALL OF YOU, for supporting this series all the way through! I lovingly present you with more chapters to this story! Enjoy!

BTW... Happy DL-6-mas! Here is my DL-6-mas present for you people.

WARNING: This chapter has some suggestive themes, and signs of maybe-rape. Read at your own risk.

* * *

A man and a woman walked hand-in-hand to a cemetery. They went to a certain gravestone. The man, who had grey-black hair, went down on his knees. The woman, who had silver-blue hair, joined him as they each put a pair of red poppies on the grave stone. The man hung his head lifelessly and started to mumble words audible only to him. The woman smiled sadly and put her hand on his shoulder. She whispered something to the man, and he clutched her hand as he slowly got up. The two silently and sullenly walked home, all the while the man holding tightly to the small woman. Tears were welling up in his eyes, but couldn't hold it back, and one lone tear escaped just as he was about to step into the gates.

The man closed his eyes and let the woman guide him, as he thought about the grave of the person he just visited.

_Gregory Edgeworth_

_1966 – December 28, 2001_

An image was after the date of his life. It was an engraving of a defense attorney's badge. Today's date? December 28, 2018.

. . .

Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma arrived at Miles' mansion after taking a short visit to Mr. Gregory Edgeworth's grave.

"I can't believe it's that time of year again… DL-6…" Miles sighed sadly as he sunk onto the couch next to Franziska, who was reading a book.

He let loose a couple of tears, but he didn't want to cry like a baby in front of someone he just earned the love and respect from recently. Yes, the real incident happened seventeen years ago, when Miles was just in fourth grade; and yes, DL-6 was solved just as its statute of limitations ended, but… He could not change the fact that he had lost his father and seen it with his very own eyes, and he couldn't do anything about his death. Miles still had seismophobia (extreme fear of earthquakes), and he still had nightmares thinking that he killed his father.

Miles looked at Franziska as she pulled a strand of her hair behind her ear. She always looked naturally seductive, and Miles was looking for an escape from today's nightmarish memories. A cloud of lust started to fog his eyes and mind.

He grabbed her hand, which caused her to turn alarmingly at him. The second she turned around, Miles immediately leaned forward and kissed her. He pinned her to the couch, and his lips moved down to her neck. He ripped her blouse open, and all the while, Franziska was yelling at him.

"Miles! Miles! Wh…What's wrong with you?!" She constantly was grabbing at his hands, but he kept her from doing anything by grabbing her wrists and squeezing them tightly.

After more yelling and struggling, Franziska finally got Miles' attention, and he stopped what he was doing. He moved back away from Franziska's body, and she saw the fog of lust lift from his eyes. He quickly let go of Franziska's wrists, and his eyes grew wide with fear.

"Wh…What did I do to you…?"

Franziska grabbed his hands and held them tightly. "Miles." She looked him in the eye with her serious, gray eyes.

Miles blinked and suddenly broke down, crying, on Franziska's lap. He was a soft crier, but he shed manly sorts of sorrowful tears.

"DL-6… It happened so long ago, yet… I still mourn about it as if it happened just yesterday. It doesn't feel like something any man should do, to shed tears for something that happened seventeen years ago. But it was so traumatizing. I… I can't let it go quite yet."

Franziska showed no reaction at all, but she just stroked his hair as he continued to cry on her lap softly. She said nothing, but her actions were what really comforted him. Miles apologized for nearly doing something terrible to her, and she accepted his apology. There really is something about love that changes people.

_"December 28… Such an important day…"_


	27. Epilogue 2

By the way, this chapter was supposed to happen yesterday, a.k.a on the 30th. Please enjoy!

* * *

Phoenix and Maya were walking and on their way to a burger shop that was past the cemetery. Hand-in-hand, Maya skipped past the cemetery when she stopped short. There was a familiar person's back standing at a grave. The person had sparkly blonde hair, and appeared to be wearing a sparkly pink outfit under her coat. She turned half-way around, and both saw half of her face. Phoenix's and Maya's eyes grew wide. It was Regina Berry.

Before Phoenix knew that Maya let go of his hand, she ran straight to Regina. Phoenix walked briskly behind her.

"Regina?"

Regina turned all the way around, and smiled. "Oh, Maya! How are you?" She gave Maya a hug, which Maya accepted.

"How am _I_? How are _you_? And what are you doing here?"

Phoenix interrupted. "Regina obviously is here to visit her father's grave. Right?"

"Oh, Mr. Attorney! And yes, I am here to see Dad's grave. I know he's just sleeping for a long, long time in this comfy bed in the ground." Her face never fell, but only returned to normal.

Regina put a lone sunflower on Russell Berry's grave. She explained quietly with a small smile, "Because Dad used to always say that I was like a sunflower; always smiling and looking at the positive side of things."

"Well, Mr. Attorney and Maya. I have to go now, because Max is waiting for me. See you around!" Regina waved and skipped out of the cemetery.

Both Phoenix and Maya looked on at Regina with awe, wondering just how innocent and naïve she could be.

Beyond Russell Berry's grave, four red poppies were sitting on another gravestone. Phoenix went to take a closer look, and found that the grave belonged to Gregory Edgeworth. He assumed that the flowers were sitting there since two days ago, since they looked a little dry.

"Ah, Nick! Do you think that Edgeworth and Franziska were here?" Maya suddenly came up behind him.

Phoenix gave her a squeeze. "Yeah, probably."

He looked around and noticed the other gravestones. He noticed Jack Hammer's, Robert Hammond's, Bruce Goodman's, Dustin Prince's, Celeste Inpax's... And many more victims of his past cases. At the very right hand top corner of the grave, there was one in particular that him and Maya slowly walked to: Mia Fey. They visited her grave two months ago, for her 2nd anniversary. Here they were again, perhaps with something to say.

"Hey, Sis. Merry Christmas. Oh, and Happy New Year, too." Maya smiled and hugged Phoenix's arm. "I just wanted to say something..."

"Actually, we both do." Phoenix smiled also. "Chief... Maya and I... We're together now. I hope that's okay with you..."

_"Phoenix... Maya..."_

Phoenix looked up and around. Even Maya looked around, surprised. She must have heard it, too; Mia's voice, calling both of them.

_"I was waiting... for the time... when you would finally realize... what you two... mean to each other..."_

Phoenix and Maya nodded, and flashed a small smile.

_"Of course it's okay with me..."_

Maya sighed with relief and rested her head on Phoenix's arm. It seemed like this was bothering her deeply.

_"Phoenix, just treat her well..."_

He nodded vigorously and said he would.

_"Maya... Just don't take advantage of him."_

She giggled and nodded. "Of course, not, Sis. Well, not too much, anyway."

That was the last they heard of Mia, before her voice disappeared with the wind again.

They decided not to go to the burger shop anymore, and went straight to the office. It seemed that Maya had a new episode of the Steel Samurai to watch.

_"Do you hear Sis' voice like that during trials?_

_Yep. But only when I really need the help."_


	28. Epilogue 3

Happy New Year, guys! Here is my New Years' present just for you: Epilogue 3! Have a great 2014, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

_Ding dong, ding dong._

Phoenix's clock rang 12 midnight, and he set off the first firework. Phoenix and Maya were spending New Years' Eve at Fey Manor.

"It's New Years' Nick, it's New Years'! IT'S 2014!"

Maya had a radio with her, and she pressed a button that instantly blasted the Steel Samurai theme. She started dancing rambunctiously, without a care in the world.

Phoenix looked at her and smiled. He continued to set off fireworks to accompany her fabulous dancing. She stopped and looked at Phoenix endearingly. Phoenix was working hard to set off the rest of the fireworks, and she looked up at the sky. Maya admired the sparkly blue and purple fireworks flashing in the sky.

She ran over to him and gave him a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Happy New Year, Nick! I hope I can spend the rest of the year with you!"

Phoenix looked at her and returned her tight hug with the same tightness. "Happy New Year, sweetie." He had a habit of calling her nicknames like that. Maya could never really do that, because she's just used to calling him Nick, and she would blush so hard if she tried to call him something. Maya already blushes a bit whenever he calls her "sweetie" or "dearie". Especially "dearie".

Phoenix finally finished setting off the last firework, and she looked up into the sky. She could barely see the stars; firework clouds were covering them. Suddenly, one firework showed up in the sky, then another, and another! It seemed as though elsewhere, someone was setting off fireworks, just for Phoenix's and Maya's romantic moment for the new year.

At the same time, they turned to face each other. They knew something special had to be done under the magical fireworks. Maya smiled mischievously and leaned in a little closer to Phoenix. He knew exactly what was on her mind.

Phoenix put his arms around her and pulled her completely close to him. She put her hands on his shoulders. He leaned in and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. She returned it wholeheartedly, and pulled back. They smiled, and gave each other another warm and tight hug. That kiss? That kiss was their first kiss for 2014. It will certainly be a happy new year for Phoenix and Maya.

xXxXx

_Beep, beep. Beep, beep._

Miles clock struck twelve midnight. It showed the date: Wednesday, January 01, 2014. He had some fireworks ready for the New Year, and set the first firework off. It shot up into the sky, and flashed the numbers 2, 0, 1, and 4 to make 2014. Franziska smirked and took a sip of her cocktail drink.

Franziska and Miles were spending their New Years' Eve in Miles' backyard. It was more of a fancy garden, actually.

Miles set off the first firework, but he let a maid set off the rest while he went to sip his cocktail next to Franziska, who was sitting down on a table.

She smirked again. "Happy New Year, Miles." She took another sip of her drink.

Miles nodded and smirked as well. "Happy New Year, Franziska." He also took another sip of his drink.

Awkward silence followed by small slurps of the expensive alcoholic drink ensued the short greeting. They watched the fireworks pop and flash green and blue in the sky. Miles got up and put something on Franziska's head. It felt like a hat.

"Miles, is this… Is this a hat?" She quickly tore the thing off of her head and looked at it. It was a small, blue, cone-shaped hat that had the words "Happy New Year 2014" on it. She turned around to see that Miles was wearing a similar hat, except it was like a top hat and it was red.

"Why are you wearing that? You look foolish." She wanted to throw hers aside, but Miles caught it and put it back on her head.

"Franziska, you should wear this. It is the new year, after all. Be festive for a change." He was talking seriously, but there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

Franziska just sighed and looked at the fireworks again. Miles put his hands on her shoulders and looked at the fireworks as well. The hands resting on her shoulders were anxious and seemed to be moving a little.

Franziska just immediately stood up and confronted Miles about it. The movement was a little annoying, and she was starting to feel ticklish.

"Miles, are you expecting or waiting for something?! It's the New Year, and I don't want to star-"

Before Franziska could finish her sentence, Miles gave her a kiss on the lips. A long and passionate one, too. He pulled her close to him, and Franziska couldn't help but put her arms around him. Other than her father, Miles was the only person who really had control over her.

He pulled back, and put a strand of her hair behind her ear. He whispered, "Happy New Year…" He was going to let go of her, but Franziska leaned in and gave Miles another kiss. And another, and another. And these were no pecks either; these were real kisses. She kept kissing him until she thought she could never stop. Franziska had never felt like this before; she'd never felt like she could love someone at all, or be loved like that.

Miles was the one to pull away again, and he touched noses with Franziska. His breathing was just the slightest bit rough, and he was sweating a little bit. "Franziska… I love you… so much…" He gave her a hug and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"I… love you, too…" Franziska returned the hug and buried her face in Miles' hair. She mumbled, "Happy New Year…"

They separated, and saw that the pile of fireworks was only half-way. It turned out that the maid who was setting off the fireworks stopped for a while because she was watching them. The maid was crying because she probably thought it was romantic. When she realized that they were done with what they were doing and were now looking at her questioningly, she hurriedly continued to set off the rest of the fireworks. For the rest of the night, Franziska and Miles were looking up into the sky at the fireworks, and really hoping that they would stay together at least until the next New Year.

_"Happy New Year, and have a wonderful 2014!"_

* * *

I was actually blushing for the especially suggestive part in Mitsumei... And a little bit, too for Narumayo.


End file.
